Hunger Games  Hetalia
by Avatar2016
Summary: The characters of Hetalia led normal lives in the 12 Districts. On the Reaping Day, they were chosen. Only 12 were chosen this year, a new twist from the Gamemakers. Out of the 12 Tributes, only one can win. Rated T for violence and language.
1. Chapter 1

**Yay! New story! :D **

**So, one thing is that the Tributes are supposed to be ages 12 - 18. I know most of the Hetalia characters are older, so they are different ages. I didn't feel like deciding on their new age because I'm lazy. SO, you can decide on the new ages of the characters. **

**Hetalia (c) Hidekaz Himaruya **

**Hunger Games (c) Suzanne Collins**

**Enjoy the story! ;D**

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**Hetalia: **_**Hunger **_**Games**

_**The Hunger Games. **__For 65 years now, the 12 districts have to give two children, one male and one female, to the capital – __**Panem**__. These children then go into an arena where they __**fight**__ to the __**death **__until only __**one**__ remains standing. These arenas have vast amounts of space and the climate and area changes every year. Once there could be freezing tundra, next there could be a desolate desert. Out of __**24**__ contestants, only __**one**__ can live to bring fame and fortune to their district._ _May the odds __**ever **__be in your favor. _

-Part One – **Reaping Day**-

He waited quietly along with the other tributes. The announcer was discussing something with the mayor, who had a confused look on his face. That couldn't be a good sign.

The cold wind blew around him. He wished he had brought his jacket. It was quiet except for the faint mumbling of a few voices. He clasped his hands together, hoping to warm them.

A tapping came over the speakers. He looked up and saw the announcer standing at the podium, a wide smile on her face.

"What a great time of year! It's the time when summer comes to an end and autumn begins wonderfully. It's also the beginning of the highly anticipated Hunger Games!" She began cheerfully, looking over the silent crowd.

"Our absolutely amazing gamemakers decided on a brilliant change this years Hunger Games!"

Those words caught his attention. He began to watch with more interest.

"This year, no female tributes are to be selected. I know this is very unfortunate for those of you girls who wanted to participate, but there's always next year! That means there will only be 12 tributes in this year's game!"

And with that he looked away annoyed. He still had a chance of being selected.

"And now, I will draw the name of this year's _first _tribute!" She announced as she pulled a slip of paper.

"Ludwig…ah the last name must have worn off. So, come up Ludwig!"

Ludwig looked around, checking to see if anyone else stepped up. No one. He expected that, mostly because he didn't have a last name. He did adopt one from the family he lived with, but he preferred to be called by his first name only.

He began walking toward the stage.

"I see we have our tribute!" The announcer said, laughing happily.

Ludwig heard a familiar sound and turned around. One of his dogs was running up to him and barking. Ludwig sighed, and then crouched down and began petting the dog. "I'm sorry. I'm going to be gone for…some time. You'll be fine though." He stood up and then walked up the foreboding stairs to the stage.

**- District 2**

In the nearby District 2, Gilbert stood with a few other people. He was listening to them talk, but most of his attention was focused on the fact that there would be only 12 tributes this year.

_Hell yeah. Less tributes to be watch, less time staring at a screen and placing bets. Although this means less violence this year…damn. _He thought, watching as the announcer pulled a slip of paper that held some poor persons name.

"That's odd…the paper is a blank." The announcer whispered, only heard because of the microphone. "But don't worry! I'm going to draw again!"

_Yeah. That's just great for you. _

"Gilbert…Beilschmidt? That sounds right."

"Oh…well…I'm still awesome. I'll win and kill those other contestants. Whatever it takes to stay alive…" Gilbert whispered to himself as he ran from the crowd and onto the stage.

**- District 3**

"So, I was doing…something. I forgot what it was, but that doesn't matter. Because then when I walking to go do something, oh! I remember, I was going to collect some wood or whatever. So anyway, I saw something moving in the shadows. I wasn't scared so I kept walking towards it. Then out from the darkness there was a… WOLF! As it ran towards me I punched it. It tried to bite me but then I kicked it in the face. It tried attacking again and.." Alfred paused, looking around.

"Did someone say my name?" He asked to the group of people he was talking to.

"I didn't hear anything." Someone said, shrugging.

"Yeah. So what happened next?" Another person asked.

"Is Alfred Jones here today? I hope he came, he wouldn't want to miss an event like this!"

"You must have been called. When you come back you're going to have so many awesome stories. You have to win. I mean, there's no way you can lose!" One of his friends said as Alfred walked to the stage confidently.

_Finally something interesting. I'll win. _

**- District 4**

"Where's Berwald? He's usually the first one here." Tino stated, looking around the large area.

"He probably forgot. Or…he's in our age group right?" Denmark asked.

"No, his birthday is in another two weeks. He should still be with us."

"S'rry I'm late." Berwald greeted, walking up from behind Tino.

"Ah, there you are. I was wondering where you went…" Tino said, watching the announcer on the stage.

The group remained silent until the name was drawn.

"Nikolaj Oxenstierna."

Denmark muttered a few words to himself. "I haven't been called that in a few years." He then said and then walked to the stage.

**- District 5**

Antonio sat in the only small patch of shade his age group area allowed. He was eating a tomato and focusing his attention more on the flocks of bird in the sky. He had seen quite a few of them over the past few days.

_They must be going somewhere…ah I wish I could follow them. It's always too strict here. No one interesting in this district either… _He thought to himself, smiling and shaking his head.

"Antonio Carriedo!"

"…looks like I got my wish." Antonio said to himself, standing up.

**- District 6**

Arthur was sipping some tea he had brought with him. Steam curled into the air from the cup, not cooling despite the cold. Someone else was talking to him, but he just nodded occasionally and did not pay attention.

Arthur was more interested in what the announcer was saying. She had said something about a change in the game…but he couldn't hear due to the person beside him still talking.

Arthur sighed. "Please be quiet. She's about to draw the names."

"She is? Cool." Commented the person talking to him.

"Peter Kirkland!" The announcer said cheerfully.

"Peter?" Arthur whispered as he watched his younger brother walk up to the stage.

"Wow, you're lucky! Your first year to be eligible for the Hunger Games and your chosen." The announcer said happily as Peter ran up the steps.

Arthur shook his head and ran to the front of the crowd, throwing the cup to the group. "I'll volunteer!" He shouted and raised his hand, hoping to be seen by the announcer.

"But I'm going to be in the Hunger Games! I'm going to Panem!" Peter complained, glaring at Arthur.

"No; you are not. Do you want to die in the arena?" Arthur said, on the stage now.

"I…I won't die…" Peter muttered, looking away.

"You've watched the Games before. Now get off the stage."

**- District 7**

Matthew stood near the edge of the crowd, holding his cat in his arms. He stroked the cats head while it purred softly. The group he was standing near was being quiet, which was strange. Most years he could barely hear the announcer.

After a minute, he realized why they were being quiet. There was a new rule this year. Nothing too exciting, it didn't change his chance of being chosen. If they even remembered to write his name…

"Matthew Williams."

He looked up, surprised to hear his name. He was happy that someone remembered him. Then he remembered what it meant.

**- District 8**

Francis was watching a few people near him. He kept trying to move towards them, gradually and without them noticing. That failed, the small group recognized him and immediately moved.

After this happening to him a few times, he sighed and gave up. Francis looked at the announcer. She looked nice, except for her blue hair. That, surprisingly, scared him a little.

"Francis Bonnefoy!" She announced joyfully.

"Eh…was she drawing names?" Francis asked the person closest to him.

"Hm? Oh, yes."

**- District 9**

"Wang Yao!"

Silence. No one moved in the crowd.

"Ah…is he here today? Wang Yao?"

Yao looked up at the stage, dreading what awaited him.

**- District 10**

Kiku stood at the front of his age group, watching the announcer silently. He was quiet and confused by her hair. It was an odd shade of blue that reflected the sunlight painfully. She read off a sheet of paper, something about a change in the games. Nothing to his advantage though.

"So, now it's time to draw this year's tribute!" She announced too cheerfully.

Kiku watched as she pulled a single slip of paper from the pile of other ones. Each one with a different name.

"Ah, Kiku Honda."

**- District 11**

"Ivaaan, I'm bored." Natalia complained, pulling on her brothers' arm.

"Be quiet, sister. I'm trying to listen to the announcer." Ivan whispered.

"It's the same thing every year. Why do you care?"

"Listen…she said there's a change this year."

"No female tributes this year? That's good, but Ivan you might be selected." Katyusha said, looking over at her brother fearfully.

"Even if I am selected, I'll be fine." Ivan reassured his older sister quietly. They were all supposed to be in separate age groups, but no one cared when they stood together.

"She's drawing the name…" Natalia whispered, watching the announcer.

"Ivan Braginsky!"

"No! You can't go!" Katyusha cried, pulling her brother into a tight hug.

"You'll come back safe, I know you will." Natalia said, looking at him sadly, but confidently.

**- District 12**

"Lovino! Want some pasta?" Feliciano asked, running up to his brother.

Lovino sighed in response. "No. It's early and I'm not having pasta for breakfast. And we don't have much food, so try not to waste any."

"You're not fun…" Feliciano said. "So, when this is over, we have school, right?"

"We almost always have school after the reaping day...except for a few times. But the mayor _should _announce it. If he's not busy being the usual fat, lazy bastard he is."

"That's not nice."

"The world isn't nice. And shut up, she's drawing the name."

"Fine."

"And the last tribute is…Lovino Vargas!"


	2. Chapter 2

-Part Two – **Train Ride**-

Lovino stood quietly at the train station. The announcer was explaining something to him but he was just waiting for the train to show up. They were the only ones there. Lovino though there was going to be reporters intent on catching every part of the pre-game preparing. He would be traveling alone, since District 12 had never won any games in the past few decades, there was no mentor for Lovino.

"You are listening to me, right?" The announcer asked, running her fingers through her glimmering, blue hair.

"No. Why the hell would I care about what you're saying?" Lovino replied, glaring at her.

"Well, it seems we have a tribute with an attitude!"

"Shut up."

"Anyway, the train carrying the tributes had to make an emergency stop really close to here. We do have another train arriving shortly, but all the tributes will be riding together when we go back to the Capital. Sounds like fun, doesn't it?"

"…I hate you." He whispered, folding his arms and not breaking his glare. He wouldn't show her that he was terrified by the thought of meeting the people who wanted to kill him.

"You really shouldn't say such things, it's rude." She said cheerfully.

Lovino finally looked away; she was reminding him of Feliciano.

A few more people filed into the train station. He didn't recognize them, but they looked like the tributes. Each of them ignored each other, all of them putting a few feet of distance between them and the other tributes.

"The new train will be here shortly, all of you will be traveling together."

The tributes stood there for a few minutes awkwardly, sometimes glancing at each other. Until, finally, the replacement train pulled in. It pushed a small wave of air at the tributes as they walked towards it.

Once everyone had boarded, they ended up sitting in a small room together, the announcer walked in.

"We will arrive at the capital in an hour, at the most. I'll be in the other room with the mentors. Enjoy your ride!"

Once she left the room, one of the tributes, Alfred, announced, "I hate her. I hope she can't hear me, but she is just so _annoying!_"

"I'm glad you're sharing your feelings." Someone else, Ivan, said while looking out the window.

"I'm from District 3. I had to sit and listen to her that whole time."

"How do you think I feel? I'm from District 1." Ludwig muttered as the train began to move.

Gilbert sighed. "Since we're going to kill each other, we may as well introduce ourselves. District 1, go first."

"I'm Ludwig." He said, watching the blurred scenery outside the window.

"Okay, I am Gilbert Beilschmidt. From the awesome District 2 obviously."

"I'm Alfred F. Jones, the hero. District 3."

"Denmark. My real name is Nikolaj Oxenstierna. I'm from the fish District."

"How did you get the name Denmark?" Antonio asked, ignoring his turn.

"It used to be a country, a really long time ago. A country is like a district, but usually a lot bigger. Some were bigger than all of our districts put together. Anyway, I was really interested in the countries when I was younger. Denmark was a really awesome country. So, people started calling Denmark."

"Countries sound interesting…I never heard about them in school. And I guess I'll never learn about them." Antonio replied, sighing. "Anyway, I'm Antonio Carriedo. District 5."

"I'm Arthur from District 6. I'm not the original tribute; I volunteered for my younger brother."

"That's nice…I'm Matthew Williams. From District 7." He said quietly.

"I'm Francis Bonnefoy, from the lovely District 8."

"I am Wang Yao, from District 9. Call me Yao though…"

"I am Kiku Honda, District 10."

"I'm Ivan Braginsky. From District 11, of course." He said, sighing.

"I'm Lovino Vargas. Guess which District I'm from." He announced, and then sighed. "Why are we even talking to each other? I'm just going to end up killed by one of you."

After a few moments of silence, Matthew whispered, "…what if we didn't kill each other?"

The tributes that could hear him looked over in surprise. "It's the Hunger Games," Ivan said quietly. "Only one tribute can win."

"But what if we didn't listen to the capital? I don't think they would be able to just come in there and kill us because we didn't kill each tribute we saw." Matthew replied, still keeping his voice quiet.

"Panem won't like that." Ludwig muttered.

"Well…they wouldn't be able to do anything about it." Matthew said.

Ludwig laughed quietly. "Exactly. My District creates luxury items. It's our job to make sure Panem is happy. Some change would be nice."

"What are you whispering about?" Alfred asked, watching them with a confused look.

Matthew glanced at Alfred then turned back to Ludwig. "I think we should try my plan. I mean…If everyone agrees with it…then…no one will die. And it will insult the Capital."

"It's worth trying. Go tell everyone else. The Capital probably has cameras in here so try not to be too loud or suspicious."

Matthew nodded and stood up. He paused for a moment, regaining his balance on the moving train, and then walked over to Alfred.

Within the next 20 minutes, all of the tributes were informed about Matthews plan.

"I think it's good." Antonio said, smiling towards Matthew.

"Yes, very good." Arthur said, grinning. The cameras, if Ludwig was correct, weren't able to hear about their plan. The Capital was most likely confused by them walking around and talking to each other though. If they were watching.

After 30 more minutes of waiting, the tributes watched as the train slowed down to a stop. In the main train station of the Capital.

The announcer walked in.

"Hello! I hope you had a fantastic train ride! Now it's time to leave for your time in the amazing Capital."

She gestured for everyone to leave the room and exit the train. When everyone had passed by her, she closed the door and followed them.

When they exited the train, they were greeted by a crowd of people. Most of the tributes had already been confronted by several reporters at their train station. But this was the majority of Panem.

In the flashing lights of the cameras, Alfred leaned over to whisper to Matthew. "I don't know how well your plan will work. Someone is going to be a traitor."

Matthew whispered back, "Then we'll kill them. There have been alliances before. This one is just bigger."

"You seemed like a quiet and peaceful person everywhere else. I guess everything is different in the arena." Alfred replied quietly and then turned back to the crowd, smiling.

As soon as they were able to escape the media, the tributes were taken to their stylists.

"So," Ivan's stylist began, examining him. "The other stylists and I were thinking of doing something new this year. I mean, for 65 years it's been the same things from each district. Your district usually varied between different fruits and vegetables."

The stylist sighed. "There's not much I could think of for District 11, but this is my most creative idea. You're going to be a sunflower. I realize it is one of the less popular things grown in your District but…it's different."

Ivan smiled. The first time since he had been chosen for the Games. "My family actually owned a bit of the few sunflower fields. And…it's my favorite thing about my district."

"I'm glad you like my decision. I'll begin designing it. It's been a long day for you. I'll have someone show you your room. Just be sure to get up early, okay?"

"Yes."


	3. Chapter 3

- Part Three – **Parade to the Training Center**-

The following day, after the tributes had seen their stylists and gotten their outfits, they stood grouped together and waiting for the parade to begin.

"Heh, nice costume Ivan." Alfred said, grinning.

"I'm a sunflower." Ivan smiled. "What are you supposed to be?"

"Well…I'm electricity. I think. You know, I'm from the District that makes electronics…yeah." Alfred explained, looking down at his outfit. His clothing and hair had a sharp color to it. It was a bright mix between blue and yellow. His skin was sprinkled with sparkling flecks.

"Yours is certainly better than mine." Arthur commented, sighing.

"…what are you?" Alfred asked, staring at Arthur's outfit. Arthur was completely red. His clothes were dyed a dark scarlet and his skin was painted a lighter shade of red. His teeth were, somehow, red too. His hair had dots of crimson decorating it.

"I'm blood. District 6 is the medical District and it's also supposed to show how violent I am." Arthur laughed quietly. "This thing they put on my teeth is annoying though."

"Well I'm a Peacekeeper." Gilbert announced, gesturing towards himself.

"That looks safe…" Romano muttered glancing at the various weapons attached to Gilbert.

"It's totally safe. What are you? Aren't you supposed to be a coalminer?" Gilbert asked.

"Not this year. My stylists thought that the coal mines are too obvious. We do have a few bakeries and they thought I would look cute as a baker." Romano said, folding his arms and glaring at his costume.

"Alright everyone!" The announcer exclaimed, walking into the room. "The chariots for the parade will be arriving shortly. We had a bit of a problem with one of the horses so we have to get a new one."

"Seems there are a lot of problems this year." Yao said, glancing at the announcer.

"Yes, but don't worry. The actual games won't have any flaws!" The announcer reassured him.

Gilbert stood on his chariot, waiting for District 1's chariot to move and begin the parade. The four horses in front of Gilbert stood motionless, not even moving their tails or heads.

"You do remember what you're supposed to do, correct?" Gilbert heard his mentor, Roderich ask. Roderich had won the Hunger Games a few years ago. It was a surprise to the ones who knew him.

"Impress the Capitol. Make them excited. Earn some sponsors. Win them over. And overall, win." Gilbert answered, repeating what his mentor had told him earlier.

"Good enough. I'll meet you back at the training center." Roderich finished and walked away.

"What great advice." Gilbert muttered sarcastically, sighing from boredom. Despite being in the Capitol and about to be in the Hunger Games, he was bored.

_Four more days and I'll be in the arena. Too bad Panem won't be able to see any opening bloodbath. _Gilbert thought. He smiled. _That's if everyone is serious about the plan. It sounds good to me; there can't be a winner if no one dies. _

"Okay! Your turn to go!" The announcer notified him, motioning a worker to go to the horses.

"Fantastic." Gilbert said, looking up at the endless crowd of people that watched him excitedly.

"That's the spirit!" The announcer replied as the horses began walking on the command of the worker.

Gilbert looked down at his outfit as the sea of spectators cheered for the beginning parade. The only weapon he knew how to use that he had was the bow and arrow. Roderich had suggested the idea but had advised against it.

Gilbert reached behind him and grabbed the bow off his back. He grabbed an arrow from where it was resting on his outfit. He paused and looked over at the crowd. Now he just needed a target.

A good part of the crowd was cheering his name and his District. Gilbert noticed a banner on the chariot in front of him. It proudly proclaimed '**District One**' on it in bold lettering.

Gilbert grinned. _I'm sure Ludwig wouldn't mind if I used that for target practice. _He thought as he slid the notch of the arrow onto the bow. He shifted his position and drew back the string.

He couldn't remember if he had a good aim or not. He figured he would find out soon enough. He aimed the pointed tip of the arrow at the center of the O.

Gilbert released the string and the arrow flew through the air. It lodged itself in the middle of the O. The crowd cheered at Gilberts lucky shot. He grinned and raised his bow into the air.

Ludwig looked behind his shoulder briefly in confusion. Seeing nothing unusual, he turned back to face the crowd.

Gilbert continued shooting the arrows at the banner throughout the course of the parade, earning him several cheers from the watching Capitol. _I wonder if I'll still get sponsors when I'm teamed with the rest of the awesome tributes. _Gilbert wondered briefly as he reached for another arrow.

His hand grabbed air, all the arrows were gone. "Damn, now what?" He whispered, asking himself. The other weapons available to him were a few guns, which lacked ammo, several throwing knifes, which he had no training with, and a spear, which he doubted he had good accuracy with.

Fortunately, the parade was almost over.

"We can't reveal our plot yet." Gilbert said in response to Ludwig asking about the arrows.

"Then why are we talking?" Ludwig asked, glancing at Gilbert as he examined the banner.

"Hey, as long as the Capitol can't hear what we're saying, the plan is safe." Gilbert explained nonchalantly, watching the announcer who was on the other side of the spacious room.

"If they did hear us, they could easily change the layout of the arena to their advantage."

"That wouldn't be fair."

"It's the Capitol. If they were _fair _the Districts wouldn't exist."

Gilbert was about to reply when the announcer began to approach them.

"Yeah, I hate you too, Ludwig." Gilbert said, grinning. Ludwig responded with a glare.

"Okay, enough fighting. Time to go to the Training Center!" She explained to the two, smiling.

"The parade isn't over yet." Gilbert stated, moving away from chariots that were beginning to move again.

"The Tributes are going to be traveling separately. The train ride was merely an accident." Someone behind the announcer said, eyeing the two Tributes.

"Oh. I wouldn't know. I've never cared for the opening ceremony while in my District." Gilbert replied, watching the stranger.

"That makes sense. You'll be coming with me to the Training Center." The person gave a small smile and turned to Ludwig. "Someone will come for you in a moment."


	4. Chapter 4

-Part Four –**Be Prepared**-

"This looks like fun…" Denmark said, walking into the training center with another Tribute behind him.

"Like, anything but fun when you get into the arena." Feliks, Denmark's mentor, said. Feliks had won the Hunger Games the previous year and was another surprising victor.

"I was being sarcastic. Now, what should I go to first?" Denmark replied, scanning the large room and locating any interesting stations.

"You should totally go anywhere you want. I mean, I, like, don't know what you're good at. Learn stuff you, like, don't know."

"…Thanks for the advice."

"Yeah." Feliks said, wandering off.

Denmark figured he should practice something that wasn't about fishing. He began walking to the knife throwing station, which was empty. As he walked over there, Alfred brushed by him and whispered, "Ludwig said to act like we all hate each other, okay?"

Denmark looked back at Alfred in surprise and then nodded.

Denmark approached the knife station. The instructor looked like he was on the verge of sleeping, and while holding several knives. A cat slept at his feet from where stood leaning against a wall. "Grab a knife."

The voice surprised Denmark but he obeyed and grabbed the closest knife he could reach.

The instructor yawned and then walked over. "Don't pick a random knife. Obviously, things will be different in the games. But, if there's a choice, pick one your comfortable with."

Denmark nodded and then asked, "And how would I know what is a good knife?"

"Certain obvious qualities. Sharpness, length, the hilt, the type." The instructor explained.

"Yeah, but it's just a knife. Does the handle really make a difference?" Denmark asked, looking over the knives on the table.

"The hilt." The instructor corrected while selecting a relatively long knife. "You are going to be throwing knives. That's what this station is for. So, it matters."

Over the next three days leading up to the Hunger Games, the tributes trained thoroughly and continued to show no signs of an alliance. Now it was the final day before the arena. Panem was already anticipating the blood that the tributes hoped would never come.

But before the interviews, the Tributes would have to show off their skills to the Gamemakers.

Ludwig stood next to the door for the meeting room. He had an idea for what he was going to do but he wasn't sure if it would work.

"So, what are you doing?" Gilbert asked Ludwig, leaning against the wall. He had a bandage around his wrist from an accident in the training center.

"For the Gamemakers? Something with knives." Ludwig replied, looking up from the floor and staring at the door.

"I have an awesome aim so I'll shoot something with a…crossbow. Yeah, that sounds good." Gilbert explained, grinning.

Ludwig nodded.

"Ludwig..." The voice paused. "Do you have a last name?"

Ludwig looked up and the person standing a few feet away from him. "Does it matter?"

"I guess not." The person shrugged. "Anyway, go in."

Ludwig nodded and opened the door. When he entered the room, the Gamemakers looked up in surprise and stopped talking.

"Welcome, Tribute One." One of them greeted him.

Ludwig nodded in response and grabbed two knives from the table of weapons. He studied them for a moment and turned to the dummy he was supposed to attack.

Ludwig ran over to the dummy and dragged the blade of the knife against the dummy's throat. Blood sprayed out from the torn cloth. He skidded to a stop and turned around. He threw the remaining knife towards the rope holding the dummy up. The knife cut the rope and the dummy fell to the ground limply.

Ludwig turned back to the Gamemakers.

"Impressive." One of them commented, keeping the same expression. Ludwig nodded and turned around. He walked away, pressing the heel of his boot against the dummy's throat to snap the fake neck as he left.

"Gilbert Beilschimidt." The person standing near the door said as Ludwig exited, fake blood on his face.

"Looks like you had fun." Gilbert said, as he walked past him to enter the room.

Ludwig nodded.

"Welcome, Tribute Two." A Gamemaker said from behind the glass panel that separated them from Gilbert.

"Yeah." He replied, grabbing a bow from the table. He looked over the table and decided on two knives and a single arrow. He positioned himself several meters away from and dummy. He slid the arrow onto the string of the bow and pulled it back.

The arrow hit the dummy perfectly in the middle of its blank face. Then, he took one of the knives and cut a notch into the end of the other knife.

Gilbert grinned and slid the notch of the slim knife onto the bow. He wasn't sure if this would work or not but he had another plan if it didn't.

To Gilbert's surprise, when he released the string, the knife was able to penetrate the dummy's skin and stab its heart. Blood spilled out of the wound.

"Interesting idea, Tribute." A Gamemaker commented, not showing any emotion.

Gilbert grabbed his other knife and threw it behind him. He heard it hit the glass and there was a dull cracking sound. He smiled and left the room.

"Alfred Jones." The person said when Gilbert came out, a confident look on his face.

"Hell yeah." Alfred said, walking into the room.

"Welcome, Tribute Three." A Gamemaker announced.

Alfred ignored him and grabbed some rope, about a yard of it. He walked up behind the dummy silently and then threw the rope around its neck. He grabbed the other end and pulled it tightly.

Alfred heard a snap. First, the neck broke, and then the rope holding the dummy tore. Alfred fell back, the dummy on top of him. Not what he intended to do, but it added more awesome.

He threw the dummy off him and left the room, continuing to ignore the Gamemakers.

"Nikolai Oxenstierna." The person said as Alfred ran out of the room happily.

"It's Nikolaj." Denmark muttered, entering the room as the old dummy was being dragged away.

"Welcome, Tribute Four."

"Hi." Denmark responded, grabbing a knife and some fishing wire. Having some experience with the wire, he had selected some that was very strong. He tied the wire to the knife and walked over to the dummy. He stood a few yards away from it.

Denmark wrapped some of the wire around his hand. He then threw the knife at the target randomly.

The knife hit the dummy in the shoulder. Denmark pulled back on the wire and knife dislodged itself and came flying back. He caught it and threw the knife back at the dummy. This time, the knife hit its chest. Denmark grinned and let go of the wire. He walked out of the room.

"Antonio Carriedo."

"Ah, I know." He said, walking into the room.

"Welcome, Tribute Five." A Gamemaker said, sounding bored.

Antonio nodded and looked at the table. He didn't have many skills, but from what he learned at the Training Center, he was good at shooting guns. He spotted a sniper rifle and grabbed it. It already had ammo, so he didn't have to figure out how to load it.

Antonio kneeled down on the floor where he was and rested the gun on his knee. He looked through the scope and aimed the dot at the dummy's head. He pulled the trigger.

It was a perfect shot. "Ah, I'm a good sniper." Antonio said to himself as he stood up and put the gun back on the table.

"Good." A Gamemaker said.

"Better than you." Antonio replied and left the room.

"Arthur Kir.."

"I know, it's my turn." Arthur said, waiting for Antonio to pass before he walked in.

"Welcome, Tribute Six."

"Hmm…" Arthur stared at the table of weaponry. He hadn't decided on what he was going to do, so he just grabbed sword, ignoring the type.

He swung it a few times, testing it. After figuring it was good, Arthur ran up to the dummy and cut off one of its arms. Another slice through the air and a leg fell off. He raised the sword and hit its neck. He stopped the sword at the bone.

Arthur pulled the sword back to his side and looked at the dummy. It looked dead enough. He threw the sword behind him blindly and walked to the door.

The person who was supposed to be calling their names was looking away, watching something. Matthew sighed and walked into the room.

"Welcome, Tribute…Seven." A Gamemaker said after a pause.

Matthew nodded and looked at the table. He decided on an axe, three daggers, and a grenade.

He walked away from the dummy, about 20-30 feet. He set his weapons on the ground and then grabbed the axe. Matthew took and step back and then tossed the axe towards the dummy. It lodged into the dummy's shoulder. Matthew grabbed the daggers and threw all of them at the target. All three of them hit the dummy's chest. Matthew grabbed the grenade and pulled the pin. He tossed the pin at the Gamemakers and paused, cooking the grenade. Then, he tossed it. The grenade exploded right as it hit the poor dummy.

Matthew smiled and walked out of the room.

Francis noticed that the person wasn't going to call his name either. He shrugged and walked into the room. Some workers were still cleaning up the mess.

"Welcome, Tribute Eight."

"Hello." Francis greeted, grabbing a paint brush from the table. He carefully dipped it in red paint and walked over to where the Gamemakers were.

Francis began to paint a heart on the window.

"What are you doing?" One of the Gamemakers asked, watching Francis curiously.

"Painting." Francis replied and stepped away. "I don't believe that people should be violent. Love is much better."

Francis smiled and then walked away.

Francis walked out of the smiling. Yao looked at him. He hadn't been in there for too long. Yao shrugged and then walked in. A worker was cleaning the Gamemakers window.

"Welcome, Tribute Nine."

Yao nodded. He walked over to the dummy, ignoring the weapons. He positioned himself in front of the dummy and paused. He looked behind him to make sure the Gamemakers were watching. They were.

Yao took a step back and then swung his leg at the dummy's face. He jumped back and then sprung forward to hit it a few times in the chest. He kicked the dummy again, breaking a few of its fake ribs. He then jumped forward again and swung his forearm at the dummy's throat.

The neck snapped.

Yao stepped back and looked at it. "That was certainly easy, aru."

Kiku walked in after Yao left. He ignored whatever the Gamemakers were saying to him as he carefully selected the swords he wanted. He found two that met his standards and walked over the dummy.

Kiku ran up to it and swung both of the swords at its torso. He ran past it and then turned around, using one of the swords for support. He threw one of the swords and it pierced the dummy's back.

Kiku ran past the dummy again and held out the sword. It cut through its neck easily. He stopped running and bowed to the Gamemakers. Behind him, the dummy laid in various pieces on the floor in a puddle of red.

Kiku glanced at it and smiled as he left the room.

Ivan walked into the room, grinning in anticipation. Some workers were rushing to clean up the mess.

"Welcome, Tribute Eleven." A Gamemaker said, looking up for a moment.

"Hello!" Ivan greeted cheerfully as he glanced at the table. He grabbed a few knives off the table. He didn't really have an amazing display planned, but it would have to do.

Ivan took the knives and stood at the middle of the room. He proceeded to throw the knives, each one striking the dummy in the neck. He turned around to see the Gamemakers. They, however, weren't paying attention.

"That's not fair…" Ivan whispered, looking at them. He sighed and looked at the door. Then at the display of weapons.

Ivan grinned as he grabbed a section of pipe off the table. He wasn't sure why it was available there, but he didn't care. He walked over to the glass quietly.

Still, when he stood in front of them, the Gamemakers continued talking to each other, ignoring Ivan. He tapped on the glass with the pipe. They ignored him.

"How unfortunate…" Ivan said.

He swung the pipe forcefully at the glass. It created a large crack. Ivan swung again and the glass shattered. Small bits of it hit his face but he ignored it and stepped into the room.

Ivan swung the pipe at the person closest to him. The Gamemaker let out a small scream of pain before slumping lifelessly onto the table.

"You really shouldn't ignore me." Ivan said happily to the surviving Gamemakers who were backing away from him.

Ivan smiled and left the room.

Lovino stared at Ivan when he walked out of the room. He was splattered with blood and was carrying at blood covered pipe.

"What the hell did you do?" Lovino asked.

Ivan paused. "Go see."

Lovino walked into the room and saw the broken window. Some workers looked like they were carrying something out of the room. Then he noticed an empty seat where the Gamemakers were.

"Ah…welcome, Tribute Twelve." One of the Gamemakers said carefully.

Lovino looked at the table of weapons. He looked back at the Gamemakers and shook his head.

"I'm not doing anything for you bastards."


	5. Chapter 5

**-Part Five –Interviews -**

The Tributes stood facing the screen; waiting for their scores.

Ludwig's picture appeared with the score. Six.

"That's it?" Ludwig asked, watching the screen. "It's understandable…I guess."

Gilbert's score appeared; 10.

"Yeah! Awesome score for awesome me."

Alfred's score was an eight.

"I deserve more than an eight…"

Denmark got a 10.

"Nice."

Antonio's picture flashed onto the screen with his score. Seven.

"Well I didn't do anything special so…well enough."

Arthur's score was an eight. He nodded.

Matthew's score was a nine.

"Well…that's good."

Francis's picture came with a score of three.

"Hmm…at least some of them appreciated it."

Yao got a score of eight.

"I think I deserve more, aru."

Kiku looked at his score. "Seven is a bit of a low score for how I performed…"

Ivan smiled as he saw his score. "I knew they would understand." His score was an eleven.

Lovino's score was a zero. "Of course."

Yao looked over at Lovino. "What did you do in there?"

"Nothing. Those bastards don't deserve anything."

"Don't you think you should try to get a good score?" Antonio asked.

"It doesn't really matter what score you get. Well, I don't care."

"Everybody, everybody!" Someone shouted to the crowd of excited people. Ludwig sat in the dark, waiting for the new announcer. He wasn't sure what their name was, though he was thinking it was Roderich.

"Welcome to the interviewing of the 55th Hunger Games tributes!" The person turned to Ludwig and the spotlights above him turned on. He flinched at the sudden bright light. "And this years host is, Roderich Edelstein!"

The host walked onto the stage, smiling and waving at the audience. He then walked over to the chair opposite Ludwig and sat down.

"Hello everyone! I'm going to get started with the first tribute, no need to waste time with introductions. Everyone already knows me." Roderich announced, smiling. Ludwig didn't see a microphone, yet the host sounded like he was using one. Ludwig began looking around nonchalantly for one.

Roderich turned to Ludwig and questioned, "So, Ludwig, you don't seem like the usual District 1 tribute. Why?"

Ludwig paused a moment before answering. "Well, if you mean I'm not one of the Careers, then that's because I've never cared for the Games."

"I also find it odd that no one volunteered to replace you. I've seen that happen every year. Do you know why this didn't happen?"

"Maybe it's because none of the Careers knew me."

"Anyway, how do you feel about your score? Coming from District One I think everyone was expecting more than a mere six."

"I didn't plan on getting a higher score. All I did was use a few knives."

"You didn't want a higher score? That's a first from District One." Roderich laughed and the crowd joined him. "Now," he began when the room quieted, "may I ask what your last name is? I'm sure everyone is wondering."

"I would prefer if my last name remained anonymous." Ludwig replied, watching the host carefully.

"Do you have a reason? I mean, it's not like anything bad would happen if you shared."

Ludwig shrugged. "No one in my District has ever known my last name. My family, but that's it."

"Interesting." The host smiled. "Now, how do you think you'll perform in the arena? Are you confident?"

"I believe I am a skilled fighter and will stand a good chance of…winning."

Gilbert heard his name announced and he ran onto the stage. "Welcome, Gilbert Beilschmidt!"

Gilbert waved to the audience and sat down. Roderich leaned forward to shake his hand. Gilbert grinned and gave him a high five.

Roderich smiled and leaned back in his chair. "So, Gilbert, I really liked your opening ceremony act. What was your reason behind it?"

"Well," Gilbert said and paused, thinking. "I wanted to show off my skills to the crowd. I need to make a lasting impression."

"I think you have, I won't doubt that. Now, do you consider yourself a 'career' tribute?"

Gilbert laughed. "Not exactly. I mean, I prefer to be alone…but I wouldn't mind working with other tributes."

"Working with other tributes would mean that eventually, to win, you would have to kill them." Roderich explained.

Gilbert nodded in response. "Yeah…I know."

"So, what do you think about that score you got? Ten is pretty impressive."

"I think it's an awesome score for awesome me."

Alfred gave Gilbert a low high five when he passed by him. "District Three's tribute, Alfred Jones!"

Alfred walked up to the stage, looking over the crowd of people watching him. Roderich greeting him and shook his hand. Alfred smiled and sat down.

"So, Alfred, you seemed pretty excited about the Games. Any reason?"

"I'm confident I'll win. And this could turn out awesome. Though if I die…that would be bad."

The host laughed. "Yes, that would be bad. What do you think of your score you got?"

"I think I should have gotten a better score." Alfred said and then turned to where the Gamemakers were sitting. "You couldn't have given me a better score?"

"Nope!" One of them shouted back and the crowd burst into laughter.

Roderich smiled and then asked, "Anyway, you do think you have a good chance in the arena, correct?"

"Of course. I think all of the tributes have a fair chance, really."

Denmark stood up from his seat when he heard the buzzer indicating that Alfred was done.

"Have fun." Alfred said to Denmark as he passed by. Denmark nodded and walked up to the stage.

"Welcome, District 4's Tribute, Nikolaj Oxenstierna!" Roderich announced, standing up to greet him.

"Yeah, hi." Denmark replied, shaking the host's hand.

"Nikolaj," Roderich began when he sat down. "you have an interesting nickname. Where did that come from?"

"You mean Denmark?"

"Yes, I've heard a few people call you that."

"Denmark is an old country, I doubt most of the audience knows what it is." Denmark looked at the crowd. "I was interested by it in school, so much that the word Denmark became asscociated with me. I like it though."

"Ah, well that's interesting. And just so you know, I do remember hearing about Denmark before." The host smiled and continued, "You also got a nice score. How did you achieve that?"

"Just some things I practiced in my district."

"I assume it has something to do with fishing?"

"Yeah. But the score I got was good enough. I don't see why it matters though."

Antonio walked onto the stage, ignoring the crowd of cheering people. "Welcome, Antonio Carriedo of District Five!" Roderich announced, shaking Antonio's hand.

"Hello!" Antonio replied, smiling.

The host sat down and began the interview. "Antonio, you don't seem bothered by the fact you're in the Hunger Games. Did you want to be here?"

Antonio paused for a moment before answering. "I wouldn't say I _want _to be here, but it will be an amazing experience. If I live through the arena that is."

"Are you worried about your chances of winning?"

"No. I believe I have a fair chance. I don't exactly want to kill anyone, but if it comes down to that I can."

"What about your score? Do you think anyone will be questioning your abilities?"

"I got a seven, which is what I was aiming for. I'm not looking to impress anyone."

"Well it looks like we have an interesting group of tributes this year."

Arthur sighed as he walked over to the stage. He wasn't enjoying any of this. "Welcome Arthur Kirkland!"

"Hello, hello. Nice to see you too, whatever." Arthur muttered as he was greeted by Roderich. The host laughed and sat down.

"So, Arthur, you don't seem too happy here. Are you worried about the games?"

"Why would I be worried? I just don't like being _here_. I don't care about what happens in the games." Arthur explained, lying slightly.

"Why don't you like it here? The Capitol is a great place!" The host laughed. "Well, maybe not to you."

"Of course I don't like it here. My district works for this place."

"Well, dislikes aside, what do you think about your score?"

Arthur sighed. "My score was nice, considering the lack of special skills in my presentation."

"What did you have to offer in there?"

"I'm not supposed to talk about this…but the act I did involved some swords."

"I understand you're supposed to keep quiet, I was just asking for a few details." Roderich glanced at Arthur warily. "Anyway, I realize that you volunteered to replace someone. It was your brother, correct?"

"Yes. It was my younger brother."

"Why did you volunteer?"

"Why do you think? He's only twelve, a bit young for murder."

Matthew heard his name called and he walked towards the stage, brushing past Arthur. "Welcome, Matthew Williams!" The host greeted, smiling and offering his hand. Matthe ignored him and sat down.

"Well, Matthew, you got an impressive score. What do you think about that?"

"I deserved it."

"And what did you do to deserve it? You seemed rather shy and…well not very threatening."

Matthew laughed. "I killed the dummy. The gamemakers seemed impressed." A few of gamemakers nodded in agreement.

"That's interesting. Sorry for calling you shy, that was just my first impression."

"Of course."

"Now, are you confident about winning?" Roderich inquired.

"Slightly. I've seen the tributes I'll be against." Matthew shrugged. "I'm not worried though."

"Why aren't you worried?"

"I think I have enough talent to win." Matthew paused, thinking _'If there is a winner.'_

Francis walked up to the stage, not waiting for them to call his name. "Hello." He said to the host, smiling.  
"Welcome, Francis Bonnefoy!" Roderich announced, smiling at the crowd and then turning to shake Francis's hand.

Francis sat down and waited for the interview.

"Francis, I'm a bit worried about your score. What happened?"

"I got a score of three for doing something different. More peaceful. I don't understand why everything here has to revolve around violence."

"It's nice you think that way. A different perspective is always nice. But what are you going to do in the games?"

Francis smiled. "Nothing."

Yao stood up when he heard his name called. He nodded when Francis passed by him. "Nice." Yao commented.

"I'm glad you liked it." Francis replied, winking.

Yao walked up to the stage and greeted the host. "Hello."

"Welcome, Wang Yao from District Nine!"

Roderich sat down and began the interview. "So, Wang.."

"Ah, please call me Yao." He interrupted him.

"Oh, okay. Anyway, how do you feel about your score? Did you want an eight?"

"I wasn't looking for an eight. Something better, of course. I guess my display wasn't good enough for the gamemakers…" Yao explained, looking towards where the gamemakers were.

"What did you do for the gamemakers?"

"Some combat, nothing involving weapons which is a good skill to have in the arena." Yao glanced over at the gamemakers again before turning back to Roderich.

"Well it sounds impressive. So, do you expect to do well in the games?"

"Yes. Some of the other tributes are talented, but I expect to do excellent.

"The next tribute is, Kiku Honda!"

Kiku stood up and walked up to the stage, looking away from the cheering crowd. "Welcome, Kiku Honda!" Roderich greeted him.

"Hello, it is a pleasure to meet you." Kiku replied and then sat down.

"So, Kiku, your score was seven. From the other scores today, it's a bit low."

"Yes. I was aiming for a higher score and I had a talented display. Somehow I failed to impress the gamemakers enough to get a higher score."

"I see…how do you expect to perform in the arena?"

"I believe I have enough skills to win, or come close to."

Ivan stood up and walked to the stage when his name was called. "Welcome, District 11's tribute Ivan Braginsky!"

Ivan bowed to the crowd, smiling. "Hello everyone."

Ivan and Roderich sat down to begin the interview. "Ivan, you received an impressive score. Eleven! What did you do to get that?"

"Oh, I did some basic knife throwing." Ivan glanced over at the gamemakers. "There was also a rather…tragic accident involving one of the gamemakers. Very unfortunate."

"Yes, it was a bad accident!" One of the gamemakers yelled out.

Ivan smiled.

"Well, with your score, how good do you think you will be in the arena?" Roderich asked.

"I think I will very good. I am quite good at fighting and such. Some of the other tributes may be a…problem but I'm sure I'll win."

Lovino stood up and walked onto the stage with a sigh. _'I'm last.'_

"Welcome, Lovino Vargas!" Roderich shouted, smiling at Lovino.

"Hello, bastard." Lovino replied, sitting down.

"Well then…" The host muttered, taking a seat to begin the interview. "Lovino…you got one of the worst scores."

"And?"

"And…what happened? You got a zero."

"I did nothing."

Roderich paused. "Do you mean you literally did nothing in there?"

"What else would I be suggesting? I stood there and did nothing. The gamemakers gave me an expected score of zero."

"Why didn't you do anything? No talents?"

"I have talent, bastard. Don't say I don't." Lovino replied, glaring at Roderich.

"You must have a reason." Roderich continued.

"I didn't feel like 'performing' for the gamemakers. I'm not a dog."

"Surely you wanted a score, something to make you look good?"

"No score. I don't care. What's the point?"

"To show you have a chance of winning. You could get sponsors."

Lovino sighed. "And what if I don't want sponsors?"

"Do you realize.."

"Yes. I realize that I didn't do anything. I _was _the one who did it."

"The games are tomorrow. You have proved nothing to the citizens of the capitol. Do you think you'll get sponsors?"

"No."


	6. Chapter 6

**-Part Six – Game Time-**

Matthew looked down at his outfit. The clothing selection for this years games was rather comfortable. He had a dark blue jacket and a black shirt underneath. A pair of forest green gloves were lying on the chair next to him.

He also had a pair of black pants and hiking boots. Despite the offer, Matthew didn't bring anything from his district. His clothes already gave off a depressing tone.

"Ready?" A voice asked him. Matthew looked up and saw –insertnameherestfu- gesturing towards the plate that would take him to the arena. He nodded and walked over, slipping the gloves on.

As he stepped onto the plate and the glass cylinder slid down, surrounding him, Matthew began to sense a feeling of dread. He wasn't worried about the arena. Everyone seemed like they were going to comply with his plan. He sighed and looked up at the light of the arena.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" A voice shouted. It was the announcer. "Let the 55th Hunger Games begin!" Sixty seconds.

Ivan looked at the other tributes for a moment, everyone was there and waiting, and then he looked at his surroundings. The arena, from what he could see, was a forest. The tributes were standing in an open area, most likely hidden from above because of the towering pines. Farther off he could see a change in the foliage. The trees became lighter and the area was brighter.

Looking behind his shoulder, he could see a thin line of a few more pine trees before it cut off abruptly into a field of wheat. The wheat, he could tell, was still a few more months off from being ready to harvest.

Ivan looked over at the cornucopia. It was turned away from him, and the rest of the tributes, so he couldn't see what was inside.

Ivan then looked at Matthew. He was staring at the arena, a calm expression on his face. Matthew then glanced to his right and caught Ivan's look. Ivan nodded to him slightly and Matthew smiled in reply.

_'The minute has to be over soon…' _Ivan thought, petting part of his scarf. The gamemakers had let it through into the arena, although Ivan had to convince them. They thought it would be an unfair advantage, him trying to choke other tributes.

The sound of a gong echoed in the small opening. The games had begun.

For a few moments, no one moved. Every other game was a quick dash to the cornucopia. But this time, nothing.

Matthew smiled in relief. It seemed everyone was following through with his plan.

"So…" Alfred said, looking at Matthew and then the other Tributes still standing on the starting places. "Everyone still with this?"

There were several corresponding nods from the tributes.

"Well…that's good." Matthew said, feeling slightly astonished that everyone had listened to him. "If we're all going to be working together as a team, we should check the cornucopia first. Of course." Matthew paused, looking over the faces of the tributes. "Then planning as to what we're doing."

"Sounds great!" Alfred shouted and he jumped off his plate and began running towards the cornucopia.

"What's in there? It doesn't look like much from over here…" Ivan noted, running to where Alfred was.

"Guns!" Alfred yelled happily, kneeling down and grabbing one.

"Guns?" Arthur asked, walking over to examine the weapons. "First the gamemakers only take 12 Tributes and now they only give us guns. What an interesting year this is for the Games."

"And it's about to get awesomer." Gilbert stated while grabbing a light machine gun from the pile. He held it up and pointed it at Ivan.

"Same team, yes?" Ivan asked, walking past Gilbert and pushing the gun lightly down so it pointed at the ground.

Ivan selected a sniper rifle and looked through the scope. Aiming for a tree in the distance, he pulled the trigger. He heard a click and pulled the gun away from him. "I don't think this has any ammo…"

"Mine's empty too!" Alfred exclaimed after trying to fire the pistol he held a few times. "Are all the guns likes this?"

Gilbert tried his gun too. "Nothing."

"Are you sure the only weapons here are guns?" Yao asked, looking over the pile.

"I think so…" Francis replied, looking over the pile.

"Hunting would be much easier with weapons." Kiku noted, pushing a gun away from him with his foot.

"I found some bread…" Ludwig said grabbing a loaf of bread wrapped in plastic.

Matthew looked from where he was looking through the small pile. "That's good. Is there anything else?"

"I think we would have found it by now." Denmark said, leaning against the cornucopia with a shotgun.

"Well, we will most likely be able to survive off that for a day." Arthur explained, eyeing the food. "That means, for survival, we're going to have to hunt. With improvised weapons of course."

"Why is everything so focused on violence?" Francis asked, glaring at Arthur. "I see plenty of plants that could have fruit or some kind of food."

"Not everyone is a vegetarian." Arthur replied with a sigh.

"I'm not saying I am.."

"Do you know where meat comes from?"

"Yes."

"Okay, good. I would rather catch some fish or something than take my chances with a plant."

"What if there are no animals here?"

"…I just heard a bird."

"Please, we need to get a plan together." Matthew said, looking over at Arthur.

"Very well then, what do you suggest we do?" Kiku asked.

"We need to work together as a team." Matthew replied. "And no one will be a leader. Leaderships lead to violence within a group."

"Hm, that is a good point." Arthur commented.

"Although, I guess I can make some decisions. We can't just sit here." Matthew paused briefly before continuing, "First, which direction should we travel?"

"Over there," Ivan suggested, gesturing towards the trees in the distance. "There are not as many pines so that could suggest a change. And because there doesn't seem to be anything promising with a bunch of evergreens and a field."

"I'm going to have to agree with him." Alfred said. "It's too dark over here."

"The significant number of trees over there could suggest a water source or _something_." Ludwig noted. "There doesn't seem to be any water over here and the lack of cover would scare away most small animals."

"I didn't know career tributes were so smart." Lovino said, glaring at Ludwig from where he was sitting.

"I'm not a career. My mentor just gave me a few tips." Ludwig replied.

"Well, I believe it would be best if we traveled toward the trees." Matthew said, grabbing a rifle. "Unless anyone thinks we should go another direction?"

No one replied.

"Okay!" Alfred shouted. "Let's go."

"Why…why are they doing this?" A gamemaker asked the group behind him as he stared at the screen. "Were they ever together? This seems to be planned."

Someone from the group spoke. "I don't ever remember them being together. Unless…it was the train ride?"

"They only talked a bit though…" Someone else said.

"How will Panem react? This has never happened!" Another gamemaker shouted.

"Don't worry. This is under control." Someone said calmly as they walked into the room. It was the head gamemaker. "I anticipated this…but I never did expect them to follow through." He paused. "Someone is bound to break. The group will fall apart."

He looked at the assembly of gamemakers surrounding him. "Or I'll make them."

**Short chapter. OTL **


	7. Chapter 7

**-Part Seven – First Day-**

The group had been walking for a few hours, the landscape had changed slightly. There had been a few conversations, most about their districts. But for a majority of the walk, they were quiet.

Alfred, who was walking a few meters in front of the group, stopped walking. "Look at this!" He shouted to the tributes, pointing his gun over the small hill he was standing on.

"What is it?" Matthew asked.

"It better be food." Gilbert said, sighing.

"You can't be hungry already…" Ludwig replied, looking over at Gilbert.

"This is a nice change in scenery." Arthur commented, looking over the landscape. Down a short slope was a lake. There were two wooden docks on each side of the water and there seemed to be supplies on them. To the left of the group, there was a dense forest and a lighter grove of trees to their right.

"We still have the problem of finding a place to camp." Kiku said. "Although this could be a useful resource."

"Could be?" Denmark asked. "What's easier than fishing?"

"Well, I see some stuff on the docks. Could be useful." Matthew announced. "Let's head down there." He began stepping down hill carefully, using his shotgun for support.

"I'm thinking that the forest over there could be a great place to stay." Antonio suggested, beginning his descent down the hill. "If there's a clearing. We'll probably just be sleeping on the ground. Which is okay, if you think about it. No one should expect anything comfortable here in the arena. We should stay near the lake, but not next to it. Wild animals are attracted to water sources, I should know. In my district I once saw a big herd of deer near a small stream. And I never see deer in my district."

"…you talk a lot." Lovino observed, glaring at Antonio.

"Yeah, I guess I do."

"Looks like nothing interesting here. Although I guess the wire could be useful." Alfred announced, poking at the small pile of stuff on the dock with his gun.

"Random supplies found in the arena?" Arthur questioned. "Next we're going to find a limitless supply of food.  
"There's nothing wrong with help from the gamemakers…although I've never noticed them doing this before." Yao noted.

"It's good that we found this lake, it will certainly be helpful. But first we need to focus on finding an area to camp." Matthew announced. "I suppose it would be easier to split up into small groups or go alone to explore."

Arthur was walking through the shady grove of trees, supposedly looking for a place to camp. He was, somewhat. Mostly he was just walking and admiring the nature. He was restricted to his district with guards and electric fences bordering the forest.

He looked up from the ground and noticed something glimmering ahead of him at the base of a tree. He walked over to it and kneeled down. He wiped the dirt away and picked up something that appeared to be a shotgun bullet.

"So that's the plan…" Arthur whispered to himself, rolling the bullet around in his hand. He smiled lightly and pocketed the key component to his weapon. At least, he hoped it would work for his gun.

He continued searching the ground and found four more bullets hidden underneath the thin layers of dirt and leaves.

"Hey Arthur, did you find anything?"

Arthur jumped up and turned to see Alfred. "Oh…nothing yet. I just thought I saw something on the ground…" He replied, trailing off at the end.

"Well, everyone else has decided on a camp. It's just a clearing, nothing special." Alfred paused. "Matt wants everyone back so we can decide on jobs for everyone."

Arthur nodded. "Sounds like a good idea." He began walking, making sure he kept his hand over his pocket. "So, what does he mean by jobs? Like, who goes to find food?"

"Yeah, stuff like that."

"This should be interesting. We're limited with our weapons…guns and fishing poles."

"That makes this more fun. If we have all the regular weapons like the knives and arrows…I think it would lead to someone killing someone."

"Intentional or accident?" Arthur asked, looking curiously at Alfred.

"There's not much you can do with just a gun and some fishing stuff. The gun sdon't even have ammo!" Alfred paused. "In the districts we didn't have any weapons if we got mad at someone. In the games, they do."

"Weapons or not, getting into a disagreement here is dangerous. Just having this group is. Someone might get paranoid and kill Matthew. He's the one who proposed this idea and he's the closest we have to a leader."

"This is…a nice spot." Arthur said, looking around the area. It was a simple clearing in the forest. Small streaks of sunlight shone down, though most of the sky was blocked by the branches of the lofty trees. The ground was covered with scattered leaves and small patches of grass.

"It's good enough." Matthew said. "Now, I suppose we should decide on what we're going to do." A few tributes nodded, the rest waited for him to continue. "We should work together in groups…for safety reasons. I've seen the wildlife claim a few tributes. As for our weapons, we can simply use our guns despite having no ammo. Traps would be useful, if anyone knows any."

"I do!" Alfred said, raising his hand. "I learned a few back in the training area…I probably still remember them. "

"Okay, that's good. Does anyone else know some?" Matthew asked.

"I know a few…not many." Ivan answered. "They are from my district. Food wasn't always plentiful there and the forest wasn't protected too heavily."

"Good. Alfred and Ivan will work together in trapping. Now, we have fishing supplies. Denmark is an obvious choice." Matthew remarked motioning towards Denmark. He nodded in reply. "Who else has experience fishing?"

Yao smiled and replied, "I've done a bit of fishing. In my district once or twice…I'll work with Denmark."

"Okay then, Denmark and Yao are working together. Next…we need someone with experience with plants. Such as, which ones are safe."

"I had some training in my district and in the training center." Francis said.

"Can you tell if a plant is poisonous or not?" Ludwig asked.

"Yeah. I just don't know every plant."

"Okay, that's good." Matthew noted. "And I'll team up with him. I went to the training center and I've been taught quite a few things by my family. So, Francis and I are working together. Now…we need someone who can make things. Specifically weapons and a fire"

"I believe I could be able to craft some weapons…" Kiku said after a bit of silence.

"And I've made a few things in my district. I can also start a fire from only a few pieces of wood and some leaves." Arthur explained.

"Okay then, Arthur and Kiku are working together." Matthew stated. "Now…we could use someone who could explore the arena and bring back anything useful."

"I don't mind walking far distances and I don't have too many other talents." Antonio replied.

"Yeah, I can't really do anything without any weapons." Gilbert admitted. "I'll join you."

"Gilbert and Antonio will be working together. Now...it looks like Ludwig and Lovino are working together." Matthew said, looking at the remaining tributes. "Can you cook?"

"I can. I usually did some baking in my district…" Lovino said.

"Well, I suppose I can. I'm not bad at cooking." Ludwig replied.

"Well, the groups are settled." Matthew announced. "It's getting late…we can start tomorrow then. For now…we can just get used to our camp."

"Sounds good!" Alfred yelled as he walked to the edge of the clearing and began looking around.

"I think we should eat. I found a loaf of bread in the cornucopia." Ludwig said, holding up the bag.

"Okay, pass out the bread. It should be good enough for tonight." Matthew decided before walking away to find a place to sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

**-Part Eight – Survival-**

With the last of the morning lighting the sky, the last of the tributes headed out to their assigned work. Lovino and Ludwig were left at the camp with no work.

"We have to wait until someone comes back with food." Ludwig said, silencing Lovino's complaints.

"We should at least begin to boil some water. There isn't anything fresh around here."

"In what?" Ludwig asked with a sigh. "There's nothing here to put water in."

Lovino remained quiet and began idly walking around the clearing. Ludwig sat against a tree, drawing shapes into the ground with a stick.

* * *

"What weapons are we making?" Arthur asked Kiku as they scavenged through the forest for materials. "We don't have many choices."

"I was thinking of a spear. A simple hunting tool should be enough." Kiku replied, breaking a branch off a tree. He examined it and then removed the twigs. "This will be good. We can either sharpen it to a point of sharpen a rock and attach that."

"Making the branch sharp seems easier. Some rocks should be good enough to sharpen it with, right?"

"Perhaps…it will take a while though."

"Well, we have all day." Arthur replied. "Let's find a few more sticks and get back to camp."

* * *

Francis picked a few red berries off a bush and examined them in his hand. "Matthew, do you think it would be worth grabbing these berries?"

Matthew looked over at Francis. "What kind are they?"

"I forgot their name…but they're the berries with the small thorns on them. They hurt your mouth unless you pick off all of the thorns off."

"No, not yet. If we can't find anything else, we can grab them."

* * *

Gilbert rested in the branches of a tree he had been climbing. Below him, Antonio wandered around the field of flowers and wheat. "Do you know what time it is? If it's noon we should get back to work." Antonio asked, looking up at the tree.

"Don't ask me, I can't see the sun." Gilbert replied, looking overhead at the branches full of leaves. Pink sprouts of blossoms dotted the green.

"Fine…" Antonio sighed and he stepped away from Gilbert's view. The sun was, roughly, towards the center of the sky. A few stray clouds drifted through the sky. "I think it's noon. Get down from the tree."

"Yeah." Gilbert swung his legs to the side of the branch. He reached for another branch above him and jumped off. The branch he had grabbed for support snapped. Gilbert frantically reached out towards the other branches but hit the ground before he could stop his fall.

"Are you okay?" Antonio asked, running over to where Gilbert had fallen on his back.

"Of course I am…my ankle just hurts a bit." Gilbert muttered, sitting up.

"Did you break anything? You have to remember we're in the arena." Antonio said while helping Gilbert up.

Gilbert winced slightly as he pressed his injured foot on the ground. "It might be…sprained. But it's not that bad. I'll be fine."

* * *

"Do you think an animal would know the difference between a poisonous berry and a normal one?" Alfred asked, grabbing a glistening berry off a bush.

"Yes. They live here." Ivan replied with a sigh. He turned back to his trap he was crafting. He was almost finished, he just needed some string. "Denmark would let us have some fishing line, yes?"

"Maybe...I'm busy so stop talking." Alfred replied, looking around him for something.

"Okay. I'll be back in…an hour?" Ivan set down his almost complete trap and began walking away.

"Wait, wait!" Alfred yelled after him. "Matt said there were…animals here. Like wolves or bears. And we're supposed to stay together." He paused. "And I need some wire."

Ivan laughed quietly. "Come."

* * *

Denmark tossed the line into the water, this time with an odd insect attached. Yao, who was behind him, was waiting patiently for a catch. Neither of them had caught anything besides the string of grass that had caught Denmark's line.

"Have you noticed those fish?" Yao asked, still staring at the lake. "The big ones out in the distance."

Denmark looked to right, studying the glimmering waters. Then, for a few moments, a long shadow passed through the water. "That?" He asked, pointing at the movement. "There were a few of those in my district. They were rare. It could be a different fish though." He watched it for a few more seconds before turning back to his work.

"Could we use some fishing wire?" Ivan asked, stepping up onto the dock.

"Yes, are you making traps?" Yao asked, tossing Ivan a small ball of wire.

Alfred jumped onto the dock. "Yeah, I couldn't find anything else to use."

"Thank you for letting us use this." Ivan said, smiling and clutching the wire in his gloved hand.

"Yes. Good luck trapping." Yao replied, focusing on the water.

A few minutes later, Denmark felt a pull on his line. He looked down at the water and saw nothing. It was pulled again. Denmark, thinking it was another string of grass, pulled back on it lightly. The line was pulled out of the water, a small fish attached. "Well…I caught something." Demark announced as he examined the trivial fish.

Yao looked behind him and saw the small catch. "I don't think it'll feed anyone. You could try attaching it to the hook again."

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking." Denmark replied, standing up to adjust the fishing pole. Yao looked back at the water. The only fish he had seen were the large, distant ones.

With a sudden shift of the ground, Denmark lost his balance and fell into the lake. "What the hell?" Yao yelled, grabbing onto the edge of the dock and looking behind him for the missing tribute. '_Since when did the gamemakers include earthquakes?' _He thought, trying to move towards the end of the dock towards land. Earthquakes could easily displace the lake's water.

About a minute later, Yao looked over at the water where Denmark had fallen in. He hadn't emerged yet even as the quake subsided. Yao stood up and walked over there carefully, watching the active waves cautiously. Yao jumped back when he saw Denmark breach the surface. Blood was streaming down his arm from a bite wound.

Yao ran towards him and tried to grab his hand, but Denmark was pulled back under. Yao continued to stare at the water in shock. '_What the hell is in there? A shark?' _The dark water made it impossible for Yao to see Denmark. He crouched down and reached into the water quickly, hoping he was still able to rescue Denmark.

He felt his hand brush against Denmark's clothing. He then felt a fish swim beneath his hand, the fin slashing his palm. He swiftly pulled his hand out of the water and pressed it against his jacket.

Yao stood up and examined his injury. The fish's fin hadn't cut too deep, but his hand was already covered in blood. The water in the lake couldn't have been clean and the cut had a good chance of getting infected. He looked back at the water, which now had a faint red tint.

The infamous cannon fired and he heard the sound of an approaching hovercraft. Yao stepped back a few meters and watched as Denmark's body was lifted from the waters. Yao noticed several cuts similar to his and multiple bites.

"Who's dead?" A voice shouted. Yao turned and saw Alfred and Ivan standing near the edge of the forest. Yao walked over to them, keeping his injured hand pressed against his side.

"It was Denmark." Yao announced to the two. "The earthquake knocked him into the water and then…something attacked him. I think it was a fish for something. It was too small to be a shark."

"Wait…he was attacked by a _fish_?" Ivan asked, looking at Yao curiously. "He was from the fishing district, I'm sure it wasn't just a fish."

"I didn't see it! It could have been a shark, but a fish…cut my hand." Yao explained, hoping that they weren't accusing him of anything.

"…a fish cut you? Do they carry knives now?" Alfred asked skeptically.

"Its fin did." Yao carefully removed his hand and showed it to them. "I tried to pull him out, but a fish swam by my hand. I couldn't see anything, the water was too dark."

"That does look bad…" Alfred remarked, looking at the injury.

"I suppose we should be getting back to camp now." Ivan suggested and then looked over at the dock. "I'll go see if you're being honest later."


	9. Chapter 9

**-Part Nine – Attack-**

The tributes had gathered back at the camp and were anxious to see who didn't show. All except for Ivan, Alfred and Yao were present. Everyone waited silently, except for Gilbert who was making bold guesses as to who was dead as he rested on the ground.

"So, who was it?" Arthur asked as the group of three came into view. The rest of the tributes looked up and watched.

"Denmark." Ivan stated and then motioned to Yao. "He was the only witness." Yao glared at Ivan while continuing to clutch his wound.

"What happened to your hand?" Matthew asked, looking at the bloodied hand with concern.

Yao stepped into the clearing, Alfred and Ivan behind him. "I'm sure everyone felt the earthquake?" Nods of agreement rose from the gathered tributes. "Denmark fell off the dock and into the lake. After about a minute, I walked over and saw him. He had a few bite marks on his arm and I could see a large gash on the back of his neck. I tried to grab him, but he was pulled back under. I reached into the water and the fin of one of the fish cut my hand."

Yao held up his injured hand to show the group. "Sounds reasonable…" Arthur commented with a look of sympathy. "I want to see one of the fish though. I mean, a normal fish couldn't do this to an experienced swimmer, even during an earthquake."

"I agree with Arthur, but I also believe Yao." Matthew said, walking over to Yao. "I don't know what's going to happen to your hand though." Yao held out hid injured hand and let Matthew look at it. "It's not that deep, but it has a good chance of getting infected."

"That's what I was thinking. Is there any way I could get stitches?" Yao asked. "We have the supplies."

"I have some rough experience…" Arthur said as he walked over to Yao. "I can try, but I don't want to make it worse."

"It would be better than having an open wound." Yao objected.

Arthur paused. "Alright. If anything happens, don't kill me."

* * *

"You think he did it?" Alfred asked casually as he walked back down to the dock with Ivan.

"You can't be too careful. This plan is bound to fail." Ivan replied grimly.

"If you think it's going to fail, why are you still here?" Alfred asked, glaring suspiciously at Ivan, who was looking absentmindedly at the lake.

"This is an admirable idea, but it has too many weak points for it to work." Ivan paused and looked at Alfred. For once he remained silent. "Matthew made a decent decision not appointing himself as leader. That creates equality and no one gets too jealous of another's power. For now." Ivan sighed.

"Well, what's to go wrong then?" Alfred questioned.

"Greed. We all know that only one person can win. How can you be faithful surrounded by your potential murderers?"

"If you think like that, you become paranoid. Paranoia will lead you to kill someone."

"What are you trying to say?"

Alfred shot a glare at Ivan. "I'm not saying anything about you. Just…be positive about this. It's probably the only way this can work."

Ivan stepped onto the dock and walked to the end. "You're right. But, I have enough sense not to start killing anyone."

"Whatever you say."

Ivan peered into the water, looking for the infamous fish. A long silhouette appeared briefly before disappearing into the depths of the water. "That looks big for a fish...it doesn't look dangerous though."

Alfred walked over and searched for the fish. "Where did it go?"

"It's gone." Ivan answered, looking down at the dock. A few small blood splatters dotted the wooden dock. Other than that, the crime scene was clean. "There's no evidence here to prove anything."

"Obviously." Alfred commented. "What did you expect?"

* * *

The tributes had made a unanimous decision to call off working for the rest of the day. Kiku drew himself away from the crowd at the camp and was walking in the relatively quiet forest. The few birds chirping and the occasional light summer breeze made a peaceful setting despite the situation. For some protection, Kiku was carrying his empty shotgun.

An unsettling sound made Kiku stop and look around cautiously. He heard it again, a distinct growl of some sort. He raised his gun and observed the forest again. He heard a twig snap and turned around sharply. A thin dog with tan fur and a vicious snarl met his sight.

Kiku tightened his grip on the gun and backed away from the dog. It looked like a stray. It was so emaciated he could easily see the most of its bones poking at its skin. Its teeth were a dull yellow, yet they shone in the small sunlight. Its eyes were black and appeared lifeless. The dog advanced forward, continuing to growl ominously.

Kiku jumped forward and swung the stock of the gun at the dog's shoulder. It fell back and stumbled before running towards Kiku. He deflected the dog when it jumped at him. It fell and Kiku used the chance to escape.

The dog caught up with Kiku with amazing speed. It leaped at his back and bit his shoulder. Kiku screamed and fell to the ground, feeling the teeth digging into his skin. He managed to kick the dog away from him. He swung his gun at the dog's midsection as hard as he could manage.

Kiku could hear the dog's ribs breaking; it sounded strangely unnatural. The dog remained silent and charged at him again. Kiku smashed the butt of his shotgun into the dog's face. Its neck snapped and it fell to the forest floor.

Kiku pulled himself up, grimacing from the pain of the bite. He looked over at the dog. It was getting up too.

He stared at the creature in shock. Its neck hung limply as it growled again. It began to run towards Kiku. He tried to run, realizing his gun was still on the ground. It bit into Kiku's leg and pulled him to the ground. While trying to regain his breath from the fall, Kiku reached out for a rock lying near him. He grabbed it and turned around to attack the creature.

The sharp point of the stone tore through the skin of the dog's shoulder, revealing a plate of metal. The dog released his hold of Kiku's leg and stepped back. It barred its teeth and snarled. Kiku tried to back away helplessly as the dog leaped for Kiku's neck.


	10. Chapter 10

**-Part Ten – Suspicions –**

"What was that?" Antonio asked Gilbert. They were both resting at the camp after everyone else had left. A painful scream seemed to come from the depths of the forest. The wall of trees and shadows made it impossible for them to see farther than a few meters.

"It had to be another tribute…I can't tell who it was though." Gilbert replied, observing the forest cautiously.

Antonio looked at him. "Should we go look?"

"I can't." Gilbert muttered, looking down. "My ankle still hurts."

Antonio sighed and stood up. "I'm going to look. If it's betrayal, then we can find out who it is." He said confidently and began walking.

"Wait!" Gilbert shouted, glaring at Antonio. "You can't leave me here with murderers around."

"The tribute could have just…fell or something. If you don't want to stay here, then you have to come with me." Antonio replied, still walking away from the camp.

"Fine." Gilbert muttered, grabbing a tree behind him for support. He walked, struggling not to limp, over to Antonio. "Let's find a murderer."

"I never said it was a murderer. Although, that does seem like something some certain tributes would do." Antonio confessed, pushing a few branches away from him while venturing into the forest.

"Yeah, I don't trust the one from District Eleven. He's creepy."

"Ivan?" Antonio asked, looking curiously at Gilbert, who nodded in reply. "There is something…unsettling about him. I trust him more than the District One tribute …Ludwig?"

"Ludwig doesn't seem like he would betray our group. I trust him." Gilbert stated, wincing as he walked due to his ankle.

"He's just too stoic. I can agree with you about Ivan though. He looks like he doesn't trust Yao. So if we find Yao out here dead, I'm going to accuse Ivan."

"You just said that it wasn't a murderer." Gilbert pointed out.

"I said it _could _be a killer, not that is isn't. It could be some of the animals out here, I heard they're dangerous. A wolf maybe? It seems plausible with those killer fish."

"I think Denmark just drowned and Yao cut his hand to make it seem like it wasn't his fault."

Antonio was about to reply when the loud shot of a cannon echoed through the air. The pair stopped walking. "It's too late." Antonio muttered, looking at the ground.

"Well…we can still find out who died." Gilbert suggested, not showing much emotion for the dead tribute.

Antonio nodded his agreement and began walking again.

Within a few more silent moments, the two came upon the gruesome sight. The tribute, Kiku, lay on the forest floor, his outfit dyed crimson from blood. Cloth was torn neatly on his pant leg, seeming to be a clean incision. There was a gash on his neck, fresh and glistening with blood. It was certainly a fatal wound. With the amount of blood pooling around his right shoulder, they assumed there was an injury there as well.

After being quiet for a minute, both of them observing the scene carefully, Gilbert spoke, "Is this Kiku? The District Ten tribute?"

Antonio nodded solemnly. "It must be." He kneeled down next to the body and tilted Kiku's head back carefully. The lethal cut seemed to be caused by an object similar to a knife. A pointed rock or branch could have caused this with the adequate amount of force behind it. "No animal could have done this."

"Leave the dead guy alone!" Gilbert exclaimed, glaring at Antonio. "The hovercraft will probably be here soon."

"Yeah, I wonder why it hasn't come yet." Antonio noted, searching the sky briefly for sign of the dreaded machine.

"We should get out of here. Seriously." Gilbert muttered, looking around warily. "If anyone finds us here, they'll think we killed him."

"Did you?" Arthur asked, approaching the scene. Gilbert jumped in initial shock, before glaring at the tribute.

"No. We found him here." Gilbert said strongly, defending himself and Antonio.

"How can we be sure? If you weren't standing here, the hovercraft would have came already."

"Hey! Don't accuse me of something I didn't do!" Gilbert shouted, taking a threatening step towards Arthur. Antonio stood up and looked at the two worriedly.

"There's no proof. It looks like there was a knife involved, but I don't think anyone was able to make one." Antonio said, trying to stay neutral in the argument.

"Wait," Gilbert started, narrowing his eyes at Arthur. "You're in the group that makes weapons."

"You were the first ones at this scene, how could it be me? Both of you are the obvious suspects." Arthur noted, watching Gilbert warily.

"We should just forget this. Neither Gilbert nor I killed Kiku. I'm certain it wasn't you either. I say we should blame it on an animal." Antonio suggested, aware of how the conflict could tear the alliance apart.

"Someone was killed. We can't ignore that." Arthur reasoned. "As much as I would like to avoid a fight, I don't want murderers thinking they can kill their way to the top."

"We don't even have weapons. Falsely accusing us will just lead to you getting killed." Gilbert stated boldly.

"Was that a threat?" Arthur asked, raising his eyebrows.

"The rest of the group will see that you can't be trusted. I remember what Matt said." Gilbert replied with a smirk.

"Watch what you say, Gilbert." Matthew said quietly as he came into view. He looked at the body and then at the trio surrounding it. "What's happening?"

"Arthur's trying to accuse me of murder!" Gilbert yelled, pointing at the tribute.

Arthur glared at Gilbert and said, "I simply came over here to investigate and found these two standing over Kiku's body."

Matthew kneeled down next to the body. While inspecting the wounds, his hand brushed over a bloodied rock. He grabbed it and stood up. "What's this?" The three stayed silent. "It appears Kiku was murdered; since these injuries couldn't have been caused by animal. They looked like something that could easily been caused by a knife, or in this case, a sharpened stone."

"The blood could belong to Kiku and the rock just happened to be there." Antonio suggested.

"That how did he die?" Matthew asked. His sentence was almost cut off by the roar of a hovercraft. The tributes backed away as the limp body was lifted away.

"Fantastic." Arthur muttered, a sarcastic tone saturating his voice.

"We should just head back to camp and tell everyone what happened. We can blame the murder on an animal because no one was out here at the time of the cannon blast." Antonio suggested again, looking hopefully at Matthew. "We got here a few moments after we heard the cannon. No one was here. I also believe it was possible for an animal to have done that."

Matthew looked at the group with a defeated sigh. "Fine."

**AN: Thank you to everyone who has commented! :D I'm sorry I'm taking so long to update with short chapters... ^^; **


	11. Chapter 11

**-Part Eleven – Secret-**

"It easily could have been an animal." Gilbert explained to Ludwig, who the group had met on the way back. "It was horrible what happened to…Kiku. That's his name right?" Ludwig nodded. "Well, it was bad, but for some reason the hovercraft took longer than usual to show. I guess the gamemakers are just getting lazy." Gilbert commented with a smirk.  
"It's unfortunate that two tributes have died already. At this rate we're going to end up with a winner. If we're going to give a message to the Capitol, we have to stay alive. The rest of us. We have to show them that they can't always control us." Ludwig explained calmly, trying to lower his voice.

"I like your thinking." Gilbert paused and sighed. "I think food might be a problem though. Do we have any back at camp?"

Ludwig shook his head. "Francis should be looking for some berries at this moment, but other than that, nothing. Ivan and Alfred's traps take time and now we only have Yao to fish. He's also injured."

"We have some bread left." Arthur reminded them. "It will have to be heavily rationed though."

"That's true." Ludwig replied. "We should replace some jobs, like yours." He gestured towards Antonio and Gilbert, "You would team up with Francis, Yao, or Ivan. For now, Lovino and I could also help."  
"Good idea." Canada commented. "I don't know why I didn't think of that in the first place. Food is the first priority here, besides keeping the peace."

* * *

After hearing the cannon, Lovino decided on going back to camp. He was exploring, hoping to find something of use. The game makers had already placed a few surprises in the arena, so what would keep them from adding more?  
He was wandering through a grove of trees when an idea came to him. "Why should I go back to camp?" He asked himself, stopping underneath a blossoming cherry tree. "I can just go off on my own; since everyone's together no one will bother to chase me. The food around there has been lacking and they're just going to kill each other anyway."  
Lovino smiled and walked out from under the cover of the trees. "I just need to get around the lake without them seeing me."

The sun was still in the sky, though it was evident that dusk would be setting in soon. Everyone seemed to be at the camp, or elsewhere. The death of whatever tribute would be enough of a distraction, especially if no one saw who it was. Now was the best time for him to leave, conveniently enough.

He started his trek around the lake; trying to keep to the looming shadows of the forest. Beyond the body of water was another hill, keeping what laid ahead of him a secret. Whatever it was, he figured it would be better than what the group had found. With the two deaths so far, they were just going to die anyway.

Lovino turned his head to the forest after hearing a branch snap. After a few seconds, whatever had broken the stick had moved on quietly. He continued to stare cautiously at the forest before moving on.  
Behind him, someone fell, shouting weakly. Lovino turned and stared at the forest, crouching behind tangled bushes. "Damn…" He heard a voice mutter. He wasn't certain on the voice, but it sounded like Alfred.

"Oh, the lake's right there," the tribute said to himself, emerging from the forest. Lovino moved into the wooded area, hoping Alfred would ignore him. The other tribute looked towards his direction. "Hello?"  
Lovino stayed silent, wincing from the various thorns pricking his skin. Alfred gave him a curious look before turning and walking away; singing to himself.

After a minute of waiting, Lovino carefully stood up from his hiding place. Alfred was further away and hopefully wasn't going to come back. Lovino continued walking, but not before a few cautious glances behind his shoulder.

The last of the sunset was illuminating the sky when Lovino finally reached the top of the hill. Before him, was a sprawling meadow and a glimmering stream splitting the field. A forest bordered both sides of the pasture and towering oak trees were scattered in the grass. A herd of deer grazed quietly on one side of the meadow and they kept near a forest.

"Perfect." He whispered to himself, looking over the new territory. "I should be able to sleep in one of those trees. It will keep me safe from most predators…I think. As for food, there is a possibility of edible plants in the area. I could also try to hunt…though I can imagine that failing already."

Lovino stood and admired the sunset, which was beginning to fade away and submit to the night sky. Stars were starting to gleam weakly in the darkest points of the sky and the moon was barely visible against the light backdrop.

* * *

By the time night had fallen, most of the tributes had gathered back at their camp. All present already knew about the death of Kiku. The story behind the killing was an animal, despite the doubts of some. Matthew had already distributed the last of their food, but it was hardly enough. Thoughts on how to get more food were circulating the diminishing group of tributes.

"Hey, has anyone seen Lovino?" Matthew asked suddenly, looking around the area for the missing tribute.

A few members shook their heads. "I haven't seen him since Denmark died." Ludwig announced.

"Lovino isn't dead yet. Maybe he just got lost." Francis said, dismissing the problem.

"Well he should look out for that animal that killed Kiku, if it's still out there." Yao replied, carefully running his fingers over the palm of his hand.

The group returned to silence until the national anthem of Panem began playing. They all recognized the tune and looked up expectantly at the sky. The picture of Denmark flashed briefly before switching to Kiku's photo. Very few of the tributes actually felt remorse for the dead. Had they known each other better, they may have mourned.

"Maybe we should have someone on watch for the night…" Alfred suggested with a hint of fear in his voice. "If that animal comes here it would kill us."

"Obviously," scoffed England. "But I think we're safe enough."

"Putting someone on guard is a good idea…" Matthew noted, looking inquisitively at Gilbert.

He noticed and answered, "I'm not doing it."

"I think you should, for various reasons." Matthew advised with a grin.

Gilbert narrowed his eyes at Matthew. "Fine. Only for today. Tomorrow, I believe Arthur would make a great watchman."

Arthur sighed. "This should be a unanimous decision instead of someone just randomly deciding."

"That's not fair for me." Gilbert argued.  
"I'm sure Matthew has his reasons."

The rest of the tributes at the camp were watching with bemused looks, not entirely understanding the situation.

"Well we should be heading to sleep," Ludwig announced to the disputing tributes. "I suppose we can keep Gilbert on guard."

* * *

Through the loosely weaved branches of the tree, Lovino could see the face of Kiku, the other tribute who had died. "I wonder how he was killed…" he wondered, resting precariously on a branch. Night had darkened the field and brought a calming silence with it. He still had no intentions of going back to the camp.  
He did, however, have a fleeting thought of attacking them later. But that was just an idea. An idea he liked and a plot he had been planning for the past hour.


	12. Chapter 12

**-Part Twelve - Arson–**

Lovino woke from the sun shining to his place in the tree. He didn't get much sleep due to his planning. He could still remember his thoughts clearly and he still had the same opinion about them. He believed, no, he _knew_ that it was going to work.  
He ultimately forgot to bring a gun with him, so using that was out of the question. The weapons he considered had ranged from normal to strangely obscure. But he had settled on one. Fire.

* * *

"He's still not back." Antonio said to Gilbert, whose ankle was almost healed. "It's weird that someone would just wander off, I hope he comes back."  
"Why do you even care about him? If he wants to leave, then he can go run off to wherever." Gilbert smirked. "It's better without him. Less food for us to share. I just wonder how long it will take for him to die."

"You don't have to be so heartless." Antonio muttered.  
"It's the Hunger Games; you're not supposed to be peaceful and loving."

* * *

The kindling had finally ignited and the tiny flame hungrily reached for more tinder. Lovino carefully moved the fire to a larger pile of dried grass and twigs. As the flames grew larger and consumed more, he added larger branches until he had an easily manageable blaze.  
He sat back and watched the dancing colors while eating the remaining berries he had found. He was almost positive that they were safe to eat. The sun was beginning to set and darkness spread across the sky quickly. He set to work crafting a torch for the other tributes.

One fish, one bird, a few handfuls of berries, and two rabbits was all the tributes managed to gather. Though it was larger than yesterday's meal, the tributes were beginning to feel the effects of their sparse repasts.  
"Arthur's on guard tonight." Gilbert declared sleepily, leaning against a tree.  
"I know, I know." Arthur snapped, standing up and yawning. "Is it possible we could switch during the night? I honestly think I'm going to fall asleep soon."  
"I didn't get to switch." Gilbert muttered.  
"I can take your place in a few hours." Ludwig offered. "Be honest about the timing though." Arthur nodded in agreement and began pacing around the camp while the rest of the tributes found places to sleep. The night fell quickly, turning the camp into a quiet and empty retreat. Arthur kept moving around the camp and nearby forest, trying to keep from sleeping. Drowsiness clouded his head and he often stumbled.

A sudden movement in front of him shook Arthur conscious. In the looming dark ahead of him, he saw nothing but the outline of trees. He walked towards the movement quietly, now alert and awake. It could just be a curious deer or a figment of his imagination brought by sleep deprivation. Either way, he felt the need to pursue it. While stalking forward quietly, something moved behind him. It sounded like it dropped from a tree and that made Arthur more confused.  
He turned and searched again for the sound. A rock, which he hadn't noticed before, rolled to a stop on the ground. He looked at it and then above him. "What the bloody hell is going on?" He grumbled to himself angrily. He turned to his left when he heard something snap. Still, nothing showed.

A glow of light walked through the forest to the camp. Arthur turned again in search of the sound and saw the small flame seeming to hang in the air. "What…?" He asked no one. The fire illuminated a face briefly, but only for a few moments. The few seconds were enough for Arthur to notice a hair curl sprouting from the attacker's hair.  
"Lovino?" He called out to the wandering tribute. He was glad that Lovino had returned. Arthur hoped he had something to show for the time he had been gone.  
Lovino turned towards Arthur and held his torch out carefully. With a deep breath, he greeted, "Hello. Sorry it took me so long to return."  
Arthur nodded. "Where were you?"  
Lovino bit his lip. "Behind the lake. I didn't know how late it was until the sun started setting." He paused and then remembered the lost tribute. "Tragic what happened to Kiku. Any word on how it happened?"  
"No one witnessed the death, but we found it to be an animal."  
"Well, it's nice to see how well all of you are faring, but I must go." Lovino replied with a quiet laugh.  
"Wait, what do you mean you're leaving?" Arthur asked, watching the tribute.

Lovino walked into the camp and laid his torch on the first sleeping tribute he could find. The fire spread to the unfortunate tribute's hair while Lovino sprinted away from the camp.

* * *

Lovino couldn't hear anyone pursuing him through the panicked screams that filled the once peaceful night air. It wouldn't matter anyway. He assumed no one would bother to follow him. When he reached the peak of the hill, he turned around to survey his damage. The fire was had been tamed, but he knew at least one of them had been injured. He hadn't heard the pleasing cannon fire, but he assumed he would be hearing one soon.  
He sat down on the grassy hill, trying to breathe evenly after his escape. He couldn't see anyone chasing him, but he wasn't concerned about them. Later, he was almost certain they would come looking for him.

* * *

The fire had quickly awakened the entire camp. Antonio had been attacked with the fire and had tried putting out the flames on the thing closest to him, which was Francis. Francis' jacket was quickly set on fire, soon searing his skin as well. He began trying to hit out the fire, which just made it worse. Alfred tried helping, but caught the sleeve of his jacket on fire too.  
Alfred fell to the ground and rubbed the fire out onto a pile of leaves, which also caught on fire. He ignored the small fire, relieved that he wasn't in danger anymore. Francis noticed Alfred's tactic and soon was free from the flames. Antonio, even though he had rid of the fire from spreading it to Francis, was still worried that he was on fire. He constantly kept running his hand over his remaining hair. The camp was also clouded with smoke, but most of the tributes had enough sense to keep to the ground.

"Where…where did that fire even come from?" Alfred asked, leaning against a tree and rubbing his wound carefully.  
"Lovino." Arthur replied in contempt.  
"Lovino?" Antonio echoed weakly, looking over at Arthur.  
"He came to the camp with a torch and said he had just left for a while. After I talked to him for a bit, he just bid goodbye and lit Antonio on fire."  
"A torch? Did he leave with it?" Ludwig asked, looking at the ground around him. "We could use one."  
"He just left it by Antonio's head. He ran off in that direction and…" Arthur trailed off when he noticed the small, but growing, fire. "Alfred, there's a fire behind you."  
Alfred spun around and jumped back from the flames. "Uh…maybe we should get some water." He suggested, backing away from the fire.

"Step on the fire. It's not that big." Gilbert proposed. Alfred, following the advice, stamped the fire into the ground a few times, successfully extinguishing it. "See? I'm always right."

"So, are we going after him?" Ivan asked, sounding excited.  
"Well, I don't think he'll come back soon. Best to leave him alone for now." Matthew said quietly. He didn't want unnecessary violence. Lovino hadn't damaged the camp or the tributes much.

"I could easily get rid of him." Arthur replied, reaching his hand into his pocket. The bullets were still there and he wanted to put them to use before losing them.  
"What do you mean?" Ivan asked, narrowing his eyes at Arthur.  
He paused before speaking, thinking of another way he could use the shotgun. "With enough force, a swing from a shotgun or rifle could break his neck."

"Well, you're not the strongest one here." Ivan stated crossly.  
"Yeah." Alfred agreed, glaring at Arthur.  
"Alfred, you're injured. Ivan, you're essential for collecting food. The group can spare me enough time to hunt Lovino down and kill him." Arthur decided, laying his hand over the shotgun next to him.  
Matthew sighed weakly. His plan based entirely upon peace was falling apart. He was losing hope about the group being able to stay together, seeing as one tribute had already betrayed them.

He hated seeing the looks of doubt in the tributes eyes whenever he proposed a plan. He hated hearing the complaints about food and not being able to do anything. In other games, the tributes were always fared better alone. Groups, though small, were always brought down by betrayal. He knew he was thought of as a leader by most of the group and he was scared that his death would come next. The idea of him leaving his idea of peace was becoming more and more reoccurring. But he still tried to convince himself that there was still hope.


	13. Chapter 13

**-Part Thirteen – Vengeance—**

Arthur set out with his shotgun after the group had grudgingly begun their search for food. Antonio could barely walk from the pain of moving his head. He remained at camp while the others injured merely had their wounds treated with water and cloth from a spare shirt. Yao's hand was healing better than Arthur expected, but signs of infection were beginning to show.

Arthur had an idea of where Lovino could be hiding, but the wide map of the arena meant he could anywhere. It was unlikely that Arthur would find him. He wanted to see what was beyond the lake and he planned to spend the day searching there.

* * *

Lovino was beginning to worry over what he had done. A fear spread over him and he couldn't escape it. Deer wandered near the tree he hid in, not noticing him yet. He rolled two berries in his hand. They were poisonous, but he had no intentions of eating them. The idea appealed to him an hour ago, but the suicidal thoughts were now gone. Thoughts of his brother were enough to keep him alive.

With a sudden urge to explore, he jumped from the tree into the tall grass below. The deer scattered instantly. He watched them bound away to the edges of the forest, where they disappeared into the shadows. He followed after them slowly, the tall grass impairing his movement. He passed another oak tree and a glint caught his eye. He paused and looked back at it. Something seemed to be sticking from the tree, but it was shining in the sun. He walked over and stared at the handle of a knife. "I'm starting to see things."

He reached out and grasped the handle. The knife slid out of the tree easily and the blade shone bright in the sunlight. It was sharp and unscathed. In perfect condition."Clever idea…nice move, gamemakers." He said, looking towards the sky.

* * *

The head Gamemaker watched the screen intently while a smile crept onto his face. "This is going nicely."

"Panem certainly likes it. From what I've heard, they actually enjoy the idea of a group forming." Another gamemaker stood beside him. "But fighting always gets them excited. The two deaths, again only from what I've heard, have been too 'natural'."

The head Gamemaker nodded. "Tensions are building. I can feel it. No sponsors either. That peace loving group is going to starve."

"Of course. But we've had that happen before…"

"Terribly boring, of course. But we have some fighting, some natural deaths, some starvation, and some odd attacks. They're getting creative."

"Someone said the dog was too much. Too early."

"Yes, yes. Let them complain. They always have something to say. But this year is far too amusing to complain about. So many twists, they are the perfect group of tributes to measure reactions from."

"Maybe you should lay off the interaction. Let them survive a bit."

"I was thinking the same. I'm the one in charge, remember? Now, I'm hoping to see some bloodshed. Tribute Six seems to be heading after Tribute 12."

"Of course." The gamemaker nodded and turned to another screen.

* * *

Arthur was finally at the bottom of the hill. Now all he had to do was find Lovino. He had seen the black outfit walking to the forest and he was sure it was his target. His gun was already loaded and ready to shoot. He grinned with confidence and set off through the grass. Within a few minutes he stopped walking and bent down to investigate a burnt circle of land. A few sticks were scattered around the site and some grass was flattened nearby. Arthur stood up and sighed. He couldn't decide whether he should wait and ambush Lovino when he came back, or hunt him down.

His decision was made for him.

When he turned his head to look across the clearing, he saw a figure cloaked in black staring back at him. It started walking towards him. No doubt it was Lovino. Arthur broke his gaze and looked around for a place to hide and at least have some sort of advantage against Lovino.

"Oi! Who are you!" He could hear Lovino and from a quick glance he noticed he was also sprinting towards him. Arthur gripped the barrel of his shotgun and pulled it to his chest to position it. When Lovino came into view, he would fire.

Lovino jogged his way to Arthur and stopped when he could recognize the attacker. "Arthur, why are you pointing a gun at me?" Lovino tightened his grip on the hidden knife. He knew exactly why Arthur was pointing the gun.

"Come closer and say that to my face." He muttered. Lovino was a few meters away and Arthur felt he couldn't get a good enough shot from the distance.  
Lovino paused. He raised his weapon and dashed forward, swerving randomly in hope of dodging Arthur's gun.

He tightened his finger on the trigger as soon as he noticed Lovino moving. The bullet exploded from the gun, but the kickback threw Arthur to the ground and the gun flew from his hands. Lovino nearly ended on the ground too when he heard the deafening shot.

"Dammit…" Arthur muttered, wincing and trying to get up. Lovino jumped forward and placed his foot on Arthur's chest. He kneeled down and brought the knife gently to his target's throat. Arthur froze at the sight of the blade.

"Why did you come to kill me?" Lovino questioned, narrowing his eyes accusingly.

"This is the Hunger Games. Peace is overrated and impractical."

"So why kill me? You aspire to win?"

"Just as much as you do."

"I was forced here. I feel no reason to win other than to live. I get no joy from killing." He paused and looked at the gun lying near them. "But it looks like you do."

"I was asked."

"So now you're a pushover? Willingly doing others work, even if you're not sure if you trust them."

"Why the sudden psychology lesson? If you're going to kill me, I would expect you to do it." Arthur's bravado was wearing off and his voice shook near the end of his sentence.

"I just wanted a chat before your unti.." Arthur shoved Lovino off him and jumped to his feet. Lovino sliced the back of his hand on accident and was swearing over that on the ground, struggling to get up.

Arthur ran for his gun.

"Get back here bastard!" Lovino cried, brandishing his knife. Arthur swiftly grabbed his gun off the ground and swung around to meet Lovino. Holding the shotgun by the barrel, he swung the stock of the gun at Lovino's neck.

There was a dull crack and Lovino fell to the ground. When Arthur bent down to pry the knife from his hands, he heard the cannon fire.


	14. Chapter 14

**-Part Fourteen – Traitor -**

"Arthur!" Ludwig shouted when he noticed the lean figure walking into the camp.

He looked up and saw Ludwig standing in front of Antonio, who was on the ground looking over Arthur fearfully. He dropped his weapons and sat down. "What is it?"

"Hand over the gun."

Arthur reached instinctively for the weapon and slid it across the clearing to the other tributes. "What's wrong?"

Ludwig grabbed the firearm and narrowed his eyes at Arthur. "We heard another sound not too long ago. Not loud enough to be a cannon, but close to what a gun would sound like."

Arthur looked over at the two silently. He hadn't thought about that.

"Where did you find the ammunition for this?"

"I..." He paused and then decided that telling the truth would be better. "When we were looking for a spot, on the first day, there was a small grove of trees and I found it there." Ludwig raised his eyebrows and nodded at him to continue. "I didn't tell anyone because I still was afraid of getting killed over this."

"Fair enough." Ludwig's gaze moved over to the knife beside Arthur. "And where did you find that?"

"Lovino had it."

"Can I see it?"

"_No._" Arthur clutched the handle of the weapon and pulled it closer to him.

The camp fell silent for a few moments. Arthur sighed and asked, "Why are you here?"

"I was waiting for you."

"_Why?_"

"I don't trust you." The frigid silence fell over the two of them again. Arthur rose to his feet slowly, keeping his eyes on Ludwig. "Don't try anything."

"I won't, I just don't like you standing over me. With a gun." Arthur narrowed his eyes and clenched the handle of the knife tighter.

"I'd say a knife is more threatening than an unloaded weapon." Ludwig kept his gaze on the knife, ready if Arthur tried to attack.

"Please, could both of you just sit down?" Antonio suggested quietly, looking at both of them with widened eyes.  
Ludwig nodded slowly and moved to sit down. He was pushed to the ground by Arthur's tackle.

Antonio let out a cry of fear and scrambled to get away from the two. Ludwig, landing hard on his side, growled and attempted to shove Arthur away with the gun. Arthur tried to lunge forward with the knife, but was punched by Ludwig's free hand. With Arthur down, Ludwig jumped to his feet and raised the gun over Arthur's head.

"Stop! You don't have to kill him!" Antonio shouted, his back pressed against a tree and his fingers digging into the earth. Ludwig's hesitation was all Arthur needed to plunge the knife into his stomach. There was another cry from Antonio as Arthur stood up and watched Ludwig fall on his knees, grabbing his side.

"There can only be one winner." Arthur kneeled down next to the tribute and sliced a clean line into his neck without much struggle. Ludwig slumped lifelessly to the ground and the second cannon of the day fired.

Arthur grabbed the shotgun from his limp hands and walked past Antonio into the forest. Though he was shaking with fear from what he had done, he calmly repeated to the remaining tribute, "May the odds be with you."

* * *

"Oh God." Alfred stopped in his tracks and looked up at the forest canopy. The cannon had just fired.

Ivan merely sighed and muttered, "I wonder who it was this time."

Alfred looked over at him. "You should be more worried than that! Someone just died. Other than Lovino. There is a killer on the loose now!"

Ivan smirked. "How do you know Lovino is dead?"

"Are…are you trying to say Lovino's the killer? But Arthur said he would kill him! And Arthur seems like he would be able to take down someone from _District 12._"

"I just think the whole game has gotten more exciting."

Alfred shook his head in disbelief. "Man, there is something wrong with you."

He shrugged. "Peace clearly isn't an option. I say it's time to start playing this how it's meant to be played."

"Wait…" Alfred looked over Ivan warily and took a step back. "You were creepy to begin with. And know you're threatening to kill me?" He shook his head and moved farther away from the confused tribute. "If peace isn't an option anymore…I can't stay with the group."

"I never said I was going to kill you. I just said that peace in the Hunger Games is not an option. It never was." Ivan argued. He folded his arms against his chest and continued, "I bet you never believed Matthew in the first place."

Alfred bit down on the inside of his lip, holding back a few insults. After a few silent seconds, Alfred spun around and ran off. He didn't care where he was going. He had to get away from the inevitable murderers.

* * *

After sprinting through the wooded area blindly for a while, Alfred slowed to a weary jog and eventually stopped to lean against a tree. The forest air burned his throat as he tried to catch his breath from the escape. He closed his eyes and tried to enjoy the soft breeze that would blow by occasionally. But the serenity didn't last long.

"Alfred?" A surprised voice called out from nearby. He jumped at the noise, nearly tripping over his own feet. "I...why are you here? You haven't been back at the camp, have you?"

"Uh, sorry didn't expect to see you out here." Alfred breathed a sigh of relief and turned to face Arthur. "Are those _bloodstains?_"

"Well, of course, I…I was the one who killed Lovino."

"Then where did the knife come from?"

"Lovino was carrying it; I thought it could be useful."

"You didn't happen to see what happened to…the other tribute that died, did you?"

Arthur paused. He had expected the question, but still hadn't thought of a reasonable answer. "Um, no. No I didn't. But I came out here to try hunting. I saw that no one had brought anything back yet, so I thought I could help…"

"Well, ah, we probably aren't too far from the camp." He couldn't see anything of the sloped ground that lead back up to the cornucopia and he could faintly hear the lapping waves of the lake. "I think I should really get back to, ah, checking my traps. I was just doing that with Ivan and.."

"I'll help." Arthur cut in abruptly.

"Really, I don't need it. You just said that you were hunting alone."

"You shouldn't be going alone without weapons. That other tribute…Kiku was killed by some animal."

Alfred sighed. "Okay. You can help."


	15. Chapter 15

**-Chapter 15 – The Games Begin-  
**

Antonio watched the hovercraft grab the limp body of the fallen tribute from the ground. The burns on the side of his face were hurting again, burning really, and he was dizzy from standing up. He was alone now, without any defense. Arthur could return at any time and kill him.  
"Who was it?"  
He could tell it was Matthew without turning. "Ludwig. Arthur killed him in front of me."  
Matthew sighed and fell against a tree. "Why? I thought they were fine."

Antonio shook his head weakly and ran his fingers lightly over the injured patches of skin. "They just started fighting after a few minutes. I tried to stop them…"

"At least you tried. How many of us are left now?"

"Eight."  
"Okay. Arthur ran off I assume. He's a threat now and we might have to send someone to find him. Or at least keep guard. Everyone else…well we still have a chance."

An hour passed and the two tributes remained in silence. Another hour with sparse conversation and then another began with Alfred asking, "We should probably head back to camp, they're probably waiting for us…"

"Yeah, that's a good idea. You should probably go ahead and leave. I'll spend a few more minutes out here, we don't have much food." Arthur muttered nervously, rubbing the blade of his knife.

Alfred gave him a long stare. "Why? We've found as much as we could. You wanted to come with me, you should come back with me."

"I'll be back, but I just want to look around. In my district, it's rare to be in nature much…"

"You're acting weird dude, you know that?"

"Perhaps I am, it's reasonable. I'm stuck in an arena with people who might murder me. I have the right to be a little off par with my normal behavior." Arthur responded, looking away. _"If he begins to suspect too much, I can just kill him. Better chances for me."_

"Yeah, I guess. But…I dunno. Something's just off." Alfred shifted his position, not moving his gaze from Arthur. He could tell something was wrong, but he couldn't place what. The first thing that came to mind was that unknown tributes death, but Alfred shook that thought away quickly. He may have only known Arthur for a week, but he wouldn't kill someone for no reason. _"Lovino was different…"_

"Forget about it. I'll be back at camp later."

"But…can't you just tell me why?"

"I said, I just want to walk around a bit."

"You're lying. You're hiding something…" Alfred didn't want to believe it, but if his brief assumption was correct, he was facing a murderer. He didn't have any weapons, unless you counted the dead rabbit he held.

"Alright, I am lying. But I'm not telling you."

"Why?"

"_Because_." Arthur nearly growled, narrowing his emerald eyes at Alfred.

After a few moments of tense silence, Alfred asked quietly, "Did you kill that other tribute?"

Within seconds, Alfred was shoved to the ground and Arthur was on top of him with his knife pressed against Alfred's throat. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to accuse you of anything or it's just that you seemed-.." Arthur pushed the blade harder onto Alfred's neck.

"I killed Ludwig, but I had to. He…" Arthur trailed off and slowly lifted the knife. He actually had no idea why he had killed him. _"Tension was rising in the camp. Ludwig could have just as easily killed me."_ He thought, trying to justify the death. _"He hadn't done anything…but the way he was acting…he might have. I shouldn't have killed him and I did. That makes me a murderer…"_

Alfred carefully sat up when Arthur pulled away, bringing the knife to his side. The tribute was staring at the ground absently, ignoring Alfred when just seconds ago he was ready to kill him. _"He's gone insane."_ He thought, eyeing the knife on the ground. _"If he tried to kill me once…and he's already killed someone else." _Keeping his eyes on Arthur, Alfred reached a hand toward the knife.

Arthur looked over, but Alfred lunged forward and grabbed the weapon swiftly. "No!" Arthur shouted, when Alfred leapt to his feet with the knife in his hands. "Don't kill me, I wasn't planning to kill you!"

"Then what were you going to do? I know what you were thinking. You're were trying to kill me and then you were going to go after the others. It doesn't matter now. This is the Hunger Games and we're going to have to start playing as real tributes." Alfred declared, lowering his voice at the last sentence.

"But…you don't have to kill _me_. There are alliances every year. We could team up and maybe do what Matthew suggested. Except without them. It's…it's a better chance of us surviving if it's just us." Arthur pleaded, looking up fearfully at Alfred.

The standing tribute shook his head. "I can't. I'm sorry." With those words, Arthur jumped up with a terrified scream and tried to run. Alfred was prepared and lunged after him, wrapping an arm around Arthur's neck and plunging the knife in his back.

Gilbert instinctively looked up when he heard the cannon fire. He wouldn't see anything until the night, but he still searched the sky. "Heh, with all the death today, maybe the game really is starting." He out loud to himself. Since Antonio wasn't able to do much, Gilbert was sent out alone. He was supposed to look for food. "How am I supposed to find food when I hardly know what it looks like?" He sighed and then laughed bitterly. It was really called the Hunger Games for a reason.

He was out by the edge of the lake, but he didn't care much for the water. He had heard what Yao said about Denmark. _Fish_ had killed a fisherman. Not that Gilbert knew how to fish anyway. He didn't know much about plants either, or about hunting or animals or traps or tracking. He was rather good with a weapon, but not the kind you would find in this arena. The reason he had high hopes for his success in the arena was because he was training in hand-held weapons. Swords, knives, maces, spears, bows, those sorts of weapons.

But with his luck, he was in the only game that featured guns. With another disheartened sigh, Gilbert kicked at sand and cast his gaze towards the trees to his left. But something caught his eye before he could turn away. He paused and squinted into the forest. _"I swear I just saw something in there…_" "Hey, there's no need to hide from me. I'm too awesome to kill someone." He said with a quiet laugh.

And to his surprise someone stepped out, pushing a few bushes aside. "Ah, hello comrade. It's good to see you again." It was Ivan, smiling happily and tossing a rock between his gloved hands. "How have you been doing?"

"Awesome. Where's Alfred?" Gilbert had never trusted the seemingly cheerful tribute. He just seemed…odd. He held a sort of childish innocence, but at the same time was able to be extremely creepy. Maybe that last cannon was caused by him.

"Him? He ran away. I don't know why anyone would be afraid of me." Ivan muttered with a grim smile. "So, how have you been enjoying the game?"

"What?" Gilbert asked, narrowing his eyes. He took a step back towards the lake.

"You know. The Hunger Games. Have you decided to start playing yet?"

"We are playing, you idiot."

"No, really playing. Looks like you'll be easy then." Ivan laughed cheerfully and tossed the rock into the air. In the same swift motion, he caught the rock in his left hand and pitched it at Gilbert's face with another, darker, laugh.


End file.
